


The Klutz

by shadow_oblivion



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CoraLaw, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non con/rape, Poisoning, Romance, Unrequited Love, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, in ch 60 and 68, lethal fluff at times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-04-13 04:03:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 69
Words: 211,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4507008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadow_oblivion/pseuds/shadow_oblivion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As soon as Law fell head over heels in love with that clumsy fool he knew that his life would never be the same.  Modern AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this fanfic on ffn but due to ffn’s rating system, I’ve finally decided to move this fic here to Ao3, and will do so with some other fics. I rated way I did to be on the safe side (I'll forewarn in notes/add to tags if need be later on). And since I can’t import, I am going to take the opportunity to edit some of the chapters of the fic (and combine shorter and relevant chapters together) as I post them to make earlier chapters match up with later chapter quality. 
> 
> This fanfic is mainly meant to be a fluffy modern AU CoraLaw fic, with occasional angst mixed in with the ups and downs of their relationship. For the purposes of this fic, Law will start out at age 24. Rocinante will be age 30 and eight feet tall instead of nearly ten (I know that their canon age difference is 13, so that’s why I did a modern AU so that I could make their ages 6 years apart instead). There will probably be occasional ooc on Law’s part but as it is Roci, I think that Law would kind of act a little differently around him anyway.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing from One Piece; it belongs to Eiichiro Oda.

Law had never expected to fall in love. It was an entirely foreign concept to someone who had devoted most of their time and energy into becoming a surgeon. Law’s day to day life was already so hectic that he felt that he had no need of romance in any capacity. If the dark haired man had happened to be told that he would fall in love with someone during his lifetime, he would have dismissed that person's words entirely. Law left such feelings to other people, and felt that, as a surgeon, he had no time to waste on such nonsense in the first place. His foremost thought was to give his patients the best care that they could possibly have.

No matter how much his roommates told him that work and personal life could be balanced, Law could not be convinced to give love a chance should it happen upon him. Law assumed that this had meant that his roommates had implied that he would not be the first one to make a move on another person, as distracted by his work as he was. The dark haired surgeon didn’t put much effort or energy into arguing against that claim, because he agreed. He probably wouldn’t even realize if anyone was interested in him in any case unless they happened to intrude upon his personal space and state it outright. But be that as it may, it didn’t prevent Law from giving his roommates a sarcastic filled response. Normally one that was associated with his work whenever they hinted that he should find someone to spend time with other than them, romantic interest or otherwise.

Law dismissed the sometimes less than subtle push to socialize more often than he did, which was to say, very rarely. The dark haired surgeon believed that in order to give the best care that any one patient would require that he had no right to feel anything for one single individual. It was always a concern of Law’s that, if he did happen to find someone he wanted in his life, it could negatively affect his work. What if he happened to give that person his undivided attention during his free time, and the feelings that came from it carried over into his work? What if it potentially caused him to lose his focus during his procedures? Law knew for a fact that he could not afford to become unfocused in any way while he worked. When he was on the clock, Law more often than not had someone else’s life in his hands and the success of the operations rode on his abilities as a surgeon in that critical moment.

That dismissive feeling Law held over the possibility of love and romance in his life, and the problems that it could possibly incur upon him would soon be challenged. At the time, the dark haired surgeon had absolutely no idea that he was about to meet a particular individual that would be able to completely change his mind on the matter of love that he didn’t think possible. Nor did Law realize that his world would completely turn around due to that one person literally falling into his life.

-x-

Law had a problem, and that problem currently consisted of being surrounded by, and accosted by, thugs that had no interest whatsoever in his wallet. The surgeon knew this because said wallet had long since been knocked free of his pocket, and lie forgotten on the ground. It was painfully clear from the group’s actions as they roughed Law up that money meant nothing to them. Law double-checked that his wallet was still on the ground and forgotten as soon as there was a momentarily lull in the roughing up. His assailants had apparently chosen to desist for the time being in order to size him up.

The wallet was still one the ground and that surprised the dark haired surgeon because it had a couple hundred dollars in it as well as several credit cards.

Law carefully settled his gaze back on his attackers, and found that while the thugs currently appeared to be having fun at his expense, none of them had batted an eyelid at the very expensive looking wallet on the ground. Law’s watch was on the ground as well, as it had somehow come undone in a brief struggle he had initially put up. If that gaudy piece of crap that his roommates and a few of his coworkers had pitched in to get him as a gift didn’t attract these assholes’ attentions, then the wallet, yellow and black in color and ridiculously expensive, wouldn’t’ either. Law was rather fond of the watch, despite what he may have otherwise thought of it, and hoped that it wouldn’t break during this unfortunate encounter. It had been custom made, after all.

The dark haired surgeon’s eyes swept the alley he was trapped in, and counted at least eight men in total that loosely surrounded him. It was unexpected, being cornered like this, but at the same time, it wasn't the first time that Law had been mugged while living in this city. The first time had been a mistake on his part when he’d first come to live there, and the second time was just because the surgeon had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Law had consulted with his roommates since those incidents and had even used public transportation to try and prevent something like this from happening again. Of course, had he been paying better attention to his surroundings instead of his thoughts, Law would have never-

“Hey, I was talking to you!”

The dark haired surgeon twitched as one of the men was suddenly right up in his face and all but growling at him in what was clearly an aggressive way. There was another reason that Law felt that he should not end up in these situations; his mouth tended to get him into trouble within the general populace not used to his attitude.

“I apologize. I figured that someone like you wouldn’t have anything worth listening to other than the drivel I’d expect to hear.” Law somewhat regretted not taking the situation as seriously as he ought to have. The man in front of the surgeon was unfortunately on the smarter side and able to be insulted by his words. Something that Law was not used to coming across based on past encounters. Law wasn’t able to back away as the man that he had spoken to gripped him by the front of his shirt, all but snarling into the surgeon’s face.

“The fuck did you say?”

Law grimaced as the pissed off man in front of him wasted no time in slamming him up against the nearest wall of the alley. The surgeon’s teeth clacked together from the force, and if that wasn’t already painful enough, one of the other thugs had decided to sock him harshly in the gut. The action drove Law to his knees once the man that had him by the shirt had let go of him. Law doubled over with a painful rasp as he struggled to regain his breath. Perhaps it hadn’t been the smartest thing to insult someone’s intelligence when he was outnumbered. Another callous kick to his side sent the dark haired surgeon all the way down to the ground. Law immediately curled up into as much of a ball as he could as the other thugs closed in and decided to add in kicks of their own.

“What the hell is some rich asshole doin’ wanderin’ around here?”

“Who the fuck cares?”

“Idiot just walked down like he didn’t have a care in the world.”

Law flinched as one of the thugs in question yanked his head up by his hair, and couldn’t help but glare at the individual in return for manhandling him in such a way.

The guy laughed at the sight instead of another kick as he cackled away with his friends.

“Hey, we got ourselves a feisty one here.”

“You see that look he gave you? He looked like he wanted to rip your spine out just then.”

“Skinny little shit like him? Hell no, man, he wouldn’t even be able to break an arm.”

As Law was jostled by the man that held his hair in a tight grasp, the surgeon wondered just how he was supposed to get himself out of this if he couldn’t even run, as out of breath as he was.

“Hey, you know this place is our turf, don’t ya?”

The dark haired surgeon didn’t but this was precisely why he avoided such places, not to mention he tended to stand out too much. But right now, Law very much doubted that his eyes or hair had anything to do with it, as unusually colored as they were. In fact, his overall appearance was likely the only thing that the thugs had latched onto. But if they knew or figured that he was rich, why hadn’t they bothered to take his wallet or watch, both of which were on the ground?

“I think you knocked the wind outta him.”

“I can think of something else that I could knock into him.”

There was some crude laughter at that as Law felt the hand in his hair tighten. The surgeon didn’t like the sound of that, and since his breath was more or less back, he immediately swung a fist at the man who held his hair. He even aimed it in the precise area of the abdomen that one of his roommates had shown him to do so at some point. Penguin had decided to teach Law some self-defense after his unfortunate, previous run-ins with muggers. The hit connected, and the surprised gasp let the dark haired man know that he was only released because the guy hadn’t expected him to fight back. Law didn’t hesitate; he lunged for the only open space that he could see in the immediate vicinity that would provide a route for escape.

He didn’t get very far.

The dark haired surgeon grunted as he was suddenly seized by two of the men that had been the closest to him. Their hands latched onto either of his arms and that forced Law to halt in place. The other thugs that were around gave him a few rough cuffs and punches, and it struck Law as odd that there was not very much force behind those strikes. But it was during the beat up inflicted upon him that Law thought back on his dinner that had been only an hour ago. It seemed like much longer given these assholes that had cornered him not too after he’d left that restaurant.

The surgeon's dinner had proved different than usual that night, as this time around Law had witnessed a very clumsy blond haired man fall over near his table for no apparent reason. In fact, the man had nearly fallen onto his table, but had managed to change direction mid fall and landed alongside the table instead. The surgeon had initially dismissed the blond haired man entirely from his mind, thinking nothing of it. But the memory had resurfaced while surrounded by thugs that soon made it very obvious that they wished to do more than just frisk him. Law couldn't believe he'd made himself such easy prey for these bastards.

“I’m bored beating him around.”

“Yeah, we should do something more interesting with him.”

Law scrunched up defensively, even if he could do nothing to protect himself with the way two of the men held either of his arms, which effectively tethered him. After one more rough punch to the gut, Law ended up going limp. He would have ended up on the ground again had the men not continued to hold him up. It was only when Law got a good look at the other thugs’ intent gazes that the surgeon realized that he had no way to defend himself from the jeering men, nor what was fast becoming their goal.

The dark haired surgeon balked at the very idea that could possibly have gotten into these idiots heads. And when one of the men gripped his belt and started to undo it, Law had the entirely inappropriate thought that perhaps he should have remained behind in the restaurant to ask the blond haired man he'd seen if he was all right after having taken that fall. And if he had done so, the surgeon would have delayed his departure from the restaurant. Law would have been able to use his common sense if he had done just that in order to not be distracted over a stranger’s well-being. Instead, since his thoughts had been preoccupied, Law had ended up endangering himself by going down a notoriously dangerous alley.

“I want to go first.”

“Nah man, I get to. I saw him first.”

Law clenched his hands into fists as he strained against the idiots that held onto his arms. Now that their intentions were clear, Law felt he had to try even harder to get away. Do anything to stop it. Flailing, while sometimes effective, did nothing in this case other than to cause more laughter within the rowdy group that surrounded him. The dark haired surgeon all but snarled something as he slammed a foot into the face of the man that had just dared to undo his belt and had the gall to palm him. If he could have, Law would have kicked him again.

Some of the other thugs laughed at their friend that had been struck and the way he rolled around on the ground as he grit out colorful curses. Law wasn’t triumphant at the sight for long as he was suddenly forced to his knees to prevent him from lashing out again.   Before the surgeon could try and think of another plan to get free and make a run for it, some of the thugs suddenly scattered and fled further down the alley, their interest in Law gone in an instant.

“Holy shit!”

“Did you see that bastard? He’s fucking huge, man!”

Much to Law's surprise, the other men that had been harassing him seemed to fly into a panic. The surgeon figured this out because the two men that had been holding him in place by his arms abruptly let go of him. Law crumpled into an undignified heap on the ground, but had enough forethought to cinch his belt back in place, even if his hands were shaking slightly. He was lucky that it hadn’t gone any farther than that, as he had finally figured out what the other men’s intentions for him had been. He supposed that he was very lucky that someone had clearly come to his aid, as he wasn’t sure what he would have done otherwise. Law looked up in time to see that the thugs who were not fleet of foot roughly cuffed and thrown aside this way and that by the same blond haired man that Law had set eyes on earlier. In no time at all, only Law and his rescuer remained.

The dark haired surgeon remained in place for a moment before he gathered his wallet and watch, both of which were tucked into his jacket pocket. Law took another deep breath and let it out, relieved and suddenly very exhausted as his mind reminded him of all of the punches and kicks that had been visited upon him. Law didn’t even react to the hand that tentatively patted him on his shoulder, as if checking to see what state he was in.

Which happened to be a combination of wired and clinically detached as Law mused over how his predicament could have gone had he not been helped.

The hand that had been on his shoulder moved to be in line with his eyes, and the dark haired surgeon started as if just realizing that that there was someone there with him. Law silently took the hand that was offered to him, and as he was helped to his feet, Law grimaced at how sore he felt from being those thugs’ temporary beating bag. At the very least, the dark haired surgeon would only have to worry about bruises and nothing more than that. He promptly dismissed it from his mind, choosing not to dwell on the what-if’s. When Law decided that he would be steady on his feet, he let go of the hand that had helped him up, and as the dark haired surgeon looked up, he got a good look at his rescuer. Law was immediately struck by how tall the blond haired man was, and the surgeon didn't consider himself short at all compared to the people he was normally around.

"Are you all right?"

Law was left speechless at how soft the other man's words were. He'd expected a gruff and deep voice based on the man's tall frame. Law could only nod his head wordlessly, as there was nothing the other man could do about all of the bruises that he would sport the following day.

"They didn’t do anything to you, did they? I only got here in time to see them, well…” The blond haired man trailed off, but it was clear from his expression exactly what he thought of what he’d come upon. That he’d have perhaps not just stopped at chasing the thugs off if they had happened to anything else other than rough Law up a bit.  "They didn't..."  The blond haired man made a motion with his hand.

“They didn’t get the chance to do anything of that…nature.” Law said shortly; he didn't want to think about it. The dark haired stopped himself from asking the blond what he would have done if they had been able to get him out of his pants, so to speak. Law entertained the idea of cracked skulls, but stopped short of smirking at the thought of that happening to his assailants. He had always been told he had a rather morbid sense of humor at times, though if he didn’t find something to be amused by, Law figured he wouldn’t be able to get through all of the difficult days that he occasionally faced in the hospital.

“Will you be all right getting home? Do you want to get a taxi?" The man offered one of those small smiles that Law had seen earlier when the man had smiled ruefully after falling over, as if it hadn't been the first time it had happened. This particular smile, however, was one of concern more than anything. “I’d rather not come across something like that again.”

"I will be fine. I walk home most of the time." Law thought he would be, but the blond haired man obviously thought otherwise. The dark hared surgeon said nothing when the blond haired man followed him home, and the surgeon was sure he had only done so because he was not convinced that Law would truly be all right on his own. The surgeon wasn’t sure what to think of the other’s actions, mainly because he was still inwardly reeling over the fact that he had nearly been raped by those thugs. He might have even been killed by them afterward. Law decided, however reluctantly, that that other man’s presence the rest of the way home was rather…reassuring, in a way.

Law would have hoped that since the blond haired man had saved him that it meant that he really was just concerned for his well-being, and didn’t have anything nefarious in mind. Law very much doubted the blond would do anything like the thugs had attempted to do, for whatever reason. It was still absurd to think that the blond haired man had happened to show up in that exact alley at the exactly the right time to throw around the people who had been harassing him. Because Law was fairly certain that he’d barely made any noise at all, instead concentrating his energies into freeing himself and running.

"You should be more careful.” The blond said abruptly as soon as Law slowed to a halt before his house.

“I normally am.” Law said in return as he turned around the face the taller man.

“You do realize that you really shouldn’t let people you don’t know follow you home, right?” The blond appeared to be uncomfortable about pointing it out.

“What do you mean?” Law gave the blond an assessing look. He wasn’t going to try anything, was he?

“The city can be dangerous at night. What if…I had been like them? Followed you home like this while you were alone? You could have been unaware of my presence until it was too late…" The blond got a bit of a horrified look on his face and quickly added. “Not that I would have ever done that to you, by the way.”

Law stared some more because he found the other man rather fascinating. For a stranger that was under no obligation to help him, he had done more than he had needed to do. There had really been no need to escort the surgeon home after the blond had scattered those thugs, but the man had anyway, as if determined to see to it that Law would make it home safely.

“I mean…I guess that sounds weird since I did follow you home but…” The blond appeared to become more flustered as he stumbled over his words. “I just didn’t want any more of those thugs trying something like that and well, I…um…” The blond fidgeted for a moment, before he ducked his head and peeked at Law from beneath his messy blond hair. “You are all right, aren’t you?”

“Yes?” Law wasn’t sure what he would say otherwise. The dark haired surgeon heard the front door open and was briefly distracted by it, and by the time Law turned back, the blond haired man was already making his way back the way they had come. Law dwelled on the other man’s words as he entered his house and locked the door behind him. The surgeon supposed that while he might have been imagining it because of what had nearly happened, Law could have sworn that he’d seen some more unsavory characters skulking about as he’d walked home. Law supposed the blond haired man’s tall frame had scared off any more potential attackers, even if the surgeon had never had much of a problem getting home at night so long as he pointedly avoided the alleys.

As Law glanced out of a window from his bedroom in the direction the blond had gone, the dark haired surgeon had the feeling that this was the last he would see of him. For some reason, that thought was disappointing. In the back of his mind, Law felt that he would have at least liked to know the name of his rescuer. The dark haired surgeon hadn't thanked him for his help either. Law hadn’t even asked for it or been able to ask for it in the first place, so the blond had had no reason to help him at all. But even if he had gone out of his way to help him, Law doubted that he would ever see the tall, blond haired man with that gentle smile again.

Gentle?

Law supposed that smile had been gentle, even if the blond’s actions against the thugs were anything but that, even if the surgeon decided that they had deserved it. But the blond haired man had been careful when he’d helped him up to his feet, and-

Law shook his thoughts away as he carefully settled onto his bed with a long, drawn out sigh. The dark haired surgeon then spent the better part of an hour trying to get into a comfortable position that didn’t put any pressure on his bruises. Law figured, as he drifted off, that there was no use worrying about what had happened now that other man was gone.

The following morning, however, Law caught himself thinking about the blond haired man wistfully and then again during his short lunch break at the hospital. Even the fact that he was sore from the beating he’d taken the previous night did nothing to distract him from thoughts of his rescuer. Those thoughts continued on for more than a day, which was unexpected and just a little bit confusing. Law certainly took notice of it since it had begun to bring out some emotions in him that the surgeon had never expected to experience in his life. In fact, he could not ever recall the need to or the desire to dwell on someone that he didn’t even know.

When Law couldn't get that smile out his head no matter how hard he tried, the dark haired surgeon began to believe that he may have a problem.


	2. Chapter 2

Law's thoughts began to border on obsessive over the next several days as the surgeon pondered about the blond haired man and why exactly he'd helped him. Because no matter how Law looked at it and ran the events through his mind, there was no reason that he could find that would obligate the blond to help him. And the surgeon was still baffled over the fact that the blond haired man had even managed to find him in some random alley.

It had to be coincidence.

And Law was grateful whether it had been coincidence or not, because he’d certainly been fairing very poorly against the thugs who had cornered him. No doubt he would have been a very battered mess when they were through with him, if not bleeding on the ground and waiting to die. The surgeon immediately thought back to the blond so that he didn’t dwell on such a disquieting idea.

Law still had no answer for the taller man’s reasoning behind lending a hand to him that night. The dark haired surgeon felt that there had to be some sort of reason or motive behind the help that was given, and he just couldn’t see it. Because Law felt that no one would actually go out of their way to help a stranger, no matter the circumstances, unless they could not get into contact with the police in time.

The dark haired surgeon knew that he couldn't focus on his musings of the blond indefinitely, even if he really would have liked a clear reason why he had been helped. Law had a job to do, and he had to focus on his work. So, as he pushed aside his thoughts on the blond and his timely assistance, Law ended up falling right back into the same routine at the hospital that he had become accustomed to over the years. The dark haired surgeon began to only give passing thought to the blond as each day became even more stressful than the last.

And then, two days after he had been roughed up in the alley, there had been a shootout several blocks from the hospital, and Law suddenly had a lot more patients to bring into surgery.

That stress from before was added to being unable to devote much time to take care of himself. Law chose to focus his attentions on the more critically injured patients who needed his expertise as a surgeon. The hospital was short staffed as it was with all of the victims that needed help who had been caught in the crossfire of the shootout.

It was during that busy time in the hospital that Law had had to begin to rely on his roommates again to remind him to eat. The dark haired surgeon grudgingly appreciated the reminders, as Law knew that he tended to become so focused and wrapped up in his job that he could and would forget that he needed to take care of himself during those times that the hospital was packed and chaotic.

Law especially knew that he needed those reminders to take care of himself, because two days after the shootout, he had been dealt a terrible blow. Two of the patients that he had operated on the night before had ended up dying hours later. Staff had been stretched thin, and no one had noticed that anything was wrong until the patients had been checked on by one of the nurses doing a round of the hospital.

It depressed the dark haired surgeon and made him wonder if there was more that he could have done to save them. Something that Law hadn’t thought of, perhaps, while he had been operating. Maybe he had made a miniscule mistake after operating on so many critically wounded victims, or perhaps he hadn’t gotten the fragments of bullets that had been lodged in the patients’ skin. If only he could have…

Could have…

Law gripped the nearest railing of a balcony he was on that overlooked the hospital’s garden, and stared unseeingly at it. He should have been able to save them all. Law should have been able to prevent them from dying; all the others had pulled through. The dark haired surgeon felt that it was his fault for not going over things as thoroughly as he should have, even if he knew that he had done everything in his power at that point in time. Law was so demoralized by what had happened that he found his thoughts straying back to that blond haired man with the gentle smile.

For absolutely no apparent reason, just thinking about that smile made him feel a little better. Law lingered on the memory of the smile a little longer before he resolved then and there to try harder to prevent his patients from dying post operation. Feeling marginally better, Law reentered the hospital to finish his shift, before he went home and immediately threw himself into studying some updated medical texts.

Not even his roommates could dissuade him from reading late into the night, even if he did accept their offerings of meals when they felt he ought to eat. Law kept his eyes glued to the book in his hand, and only came out of his reverie once during that time when he realized that Shachi, one of his roommates, had tried to feed him a sandwich. Shachi had made himself scarce the rest of the evening as Law, a little peeved over the whole bread thing, lorded over the kitchen to make edible food. And once he made sure neither that of his roommates were around, the dark haired surgeon hid the loaf of bread in the back of the fridge for good measure.

Law hated bread, and the thought of almost eating it disgusted him.

-x-

It was the fourth morning after he'd met the blond haired man that Law was to be catapulted back into dwelling on the man that had saved him all those nights ago. It wasn’t that the surgeon was trying to keep track of how long it had been since he’d last seen the blond; it just happened that way.

There was no deep meaning behind it as it was just another coincidence.

-x-

Law waited impatiently for the train to arrive at the station and hoped that he hadn't missed the ride. The next train wouldn't come for another twenty minutes. He had to go to another hospital before going home that night, to get some information, so he'd rather get there sooner rather than later. Law figured that a little extra sleep might do him some good, and it had nothing to do with the fact that his two roommates had been hinting at him to do so for at least the past week, if not longer. The surgeon heard the bell ring that signaled the train's arrival but that was when everything seemed to come to a standstill. As he craned his neck to the side to watch for the approaching train, someone accidentally bumped into him heavily from behind.

The collision knocked him off balance.

Law tried to regain his footing but the attempt was made in vain as he pitched forward toward the tracks. Panic surged through him as Law realized that he would have no time to get out of the way of the oncoming train. Time seemed to come to a standstill, and as the dark haired surgeon's panic rose, he didn’t hear the rapid footsteps that approached him. Law had no idea that there was someone coming to his aid who had witnessed his fall and the danger he was in.

And it happened to be a familiar someone.

Law suddenly became aware of an arm as it wrapped itself across his chest and pulled him swiftly backward and out of harm's way. The dark haired surgeon sagged in that person’s grasp; alarmed as the train sped by seconds later where it came to a slow halt before the platform. Law felt his heart race at what could have happened had he fallen onto those tracks. It made him a little queasy as well as dizzy. It appeared like he had also lost control over his legs, as they were currently shaking. In a detached way, Law realized that the shaking was because his body had gone into panic mode. The surgeon doubted that he would be able to stand on his own for a short time. At least until he could regain control over his own limbs.

Everyone else around him on the platform minded their own business, as if they hadn’t seen that Law had been in danger.

Immensely relieved that he hadn't been crushed to death in what would have been a very messy end, Law focused on breathing. The surgeon made the attempt to calm down in order to slow down his hammering heart. It was trouble, because it was hard for Law to not cling to the arm that was around his chest that currently kept him upright. Well, the other person’s arm was around his waist now, Law supposed, as the person who had assisted him had apparently realized that he was having difficulty breathing. Although it was mainly from his flight or fight response that he had just experienced that had impacted his breathing. When Law was satisfied that he was not going to be dropped or otherwise let go of, he chose to focus on his body. Law took several deep breaths in and out until he managed to get his heartrate to a manageable level. The surgeon felt some success when the shaking of his legs had finally stopped. He was perfectly fine now.

Aware of the warm arm that was still held him steady around the middle to prevent a potential fall, Law was able to stand on his own two feet moments later. When he was certain that he wasn't about to topple over from any lingering shock, Law felt that same arm of the other individual move to his shoulder to help him remain upright. Then Law heard it. A quiet yet shaky laugh followed by the same soft voice that he had heard the other night. The night he’d been cornered in that alley.

"Hello again."

Law twisted around and saw that the blond haired man stood next to him.

The taller man offered the surgeon a small smile as he dropped his hand back to his side, clearly relieved that he’d been there in time to prevent Law from a nasty accident.

All the surgeon could think to do was jerk his head in some form of acknowledgment. He must have still been in some state of shock to not even say anything. Law honestly wasn’t sure what to say in any case, mainly because he had never expected to see the other man again. Or to have the same exact person help him out of another rather dangerous predicament. It then led Law to wonder what the other man was even doing there in the first place, since the blond was completely ignoring the train and the crowd around them. In fact, if Law didn’t know any better, he would have been inclined to say that the blond only had eyes for him.

It was a silly thought, so the surgeon chose to ignore it.

The blond haired man appeared to be amused by Law's response or lack thereof, before he turned away. "You ought to be more careful. You could have..." The man's words were lost as he tripped over something on the ground and ended up sprawled flat out on his back. With a furtive look Law’s way, the blond recovered quickly enough. He seemed to want to say something, but was obviously embarrassed over falling that he started to walk away from both Law and the train instead.

“Wait.” Law finally found his voice just as the blond was about to get lost in the crowd.

“Yes?” The blond haired man halted as he half glanced over his shoulder at the dark haired surgeon. “What is it?”

Law saw that the other man was eyeing him carefully, as if the blond had remembered to check and see if Law was actually all right and not harmed in any way. The dark haired surgeon was a bit confused over the amount of worry the other man had for his well-being when they didn’t even know one another. It took Law at least a minute of returning the blond’s stare to realize that the other man was waiting for him to speak, so he did so.

"Thank you...for your help the other night...and for today." Law wondered why it was so hard to speak, when words were naturally easy to come by, much to the exasperation of his roommates and most of the populace that he ran across. Including those thugs from a few nights ago that had taken issue with his words. Law chalked up the momentary slip of being able to speak to retaining brief eye contact with the blond haired man. It was because of this eye contact that the surgeon was able to see that the blond appeared to be surprised; like he had not ever expected to be thanked for the assistance he had given.

"You're welcome." The man said with a happy smile, like Law had made his day by thanking him. With another furtive smile, the blond was gone moments later in the gathering crowd.

Law thought that the man appeared to have been in a very good mood as he walked away, and the surgeon wondered why that would be. He'd only thanked the blond after all. It was a normal thing for someone to do that if they deserved such thanks. And Law was not one to give out such thanks casually unless he truly meant it. But the blond haired man knew nothing of him, so that couldn't be it.

So then why? Why had the other man smiled at him like that?

Law felt that perhaps he was overthinking and reading into it too much. Although Law had to wonder if the man had followed him, either from the hospital or from the surgeon’s home, for some reason, as the blond hadn’t even bothered to stay and get on the train to go anywhere. It made Law wonder if the blond just been there to keep tabs on him after what had happened to Law that one night. Or had he just happened to be passing by as the dark haired surgeon waited for the train?

The train…

Law cursed as the train pulled away from the station, leaving him behind. The momentary lapse in thought made him late arriving at the other hospital. The surgeon, however, felt that it had been worth it because he'd been able to meet the blond haired man again. The lateness was made obsolete when Law had even gotten the information that he had needed at the hospital, and in a timelier manner than he believed he would be able to procure it. It put Law in a much better mood by the time he headed home for the night. Even his roommates back home appeared to have taken notice of his good mood, which was different than the usual sarcastic air that Law normally exuded most days from a combination of a lack of sleep and a whole lot of stress.

Right before Law drifted off into an exhausted heap on his bed that night, the dark haired surgeon realized that while he had met the man again and remembered to thank him for his help, Law hadn't asked for a name.

It was odd that such a little thing like that kept the dark haired surgeon awake for another hour and a half.

-x-

Law had begun to wonder more and more if he was being stalked intentionally or not, because over the next several weeks, he had several sightings of the blond haired man who had helped him. Sometimes it was from a distance, and all Law would get out of the encounter was to catch sight of the man seemingly stumble over anything and everything. It was rather fascinating, in a way, to see just how many different things the blond haired man managed to trip or stumble over.

Cats, dogs, cracks in the sidewalk, other people, trash cans, doors that opened in his path and even his own feet. Law had no idea why the man's clumsiness made him crack a smile whenever he saw him, despite the stress the surgeon felt most days. And Law couldn’t help but feel that even when they didn’t make eye contact, the blond somehow knew he was in the vicinity.

It was suspicious that Law had seen the blond haired man so much, but no harm came out of those odd encounters, so the surgeon didn’t think too hard on the fact that it was likely not coincidence any longer.

Other times, however, Law would actually run into the blond haired man up close and personal, and it was usually in some embarrassing, awkward and potentially dangerous situation. The one time that the surgeon had nearly walked into traffic was the worst time yet so far. Luckily enough he had suffered no injuries. And the reason for that was because the blond haired man had, quite literally, run into the surgeon and had taken them both down, inadvertently saving Law from being hit by a speeding car.

The dark haired surgeon had been tongue tied when the blond got up, heavily embarrassed that he’d all but pressed Law down against the pavement. When the man could speak, he had asked if Law was all right, completely ignoring concerned bystanders as he stared at the surgeon intently. When Law had managed to speak, it was to bluntly say that he was quite fine, as he would have otherwise been crushed by a speeding car and more than likely mangled and dead if not for the blond. He was a bit scraped up but Law had continued on by stating that being scratched a bit was better than the alternative. And because Law wasn’t sure what to do after that, he’d reached out and studied the cape on the back of the blond’s hand and had inquired if he was fine as well, since he had farther to fall then he did since he was taller.

It had rather amused Law to see the blond have a blush rise across his cheeks before he’d freed his hand with a quick nod to answer Law’s question. The blond haired man had then made his escape into some nearby shop after sneaking one last peek at Law over his shoulder. And then the blond had tripped himself into the store from looking back.

Law had forgotten to ask the blond’s name that time as well at the time, because he’d been taken aback at the blond’s response to his words. Even if Law did recall that even his roommates said that he could be blunt and straight to the point if need be.

As the weeks passed by, Law was appalled with himself and all the danger he'd come across after first catching sight of the blond haired man falling over in that restaurant. It seemed like a long time ago when it had in reality only been a little over a month. The dark haired surgeon wondered again if the man had been stalking him but dismissed it, even if the blond haired man did have an unusual knack for turning up when Law found himself in trouble.

When Law didn't see the blond for a week straight, he wondered if that was the last sighting he would have of the man. At the time, the dark haired surgeon had no idea that he would be seeing the other man the very next day in yet another dangerous situation; one that Law unwittingly walked into.

-x-

There was a commotion outside of the operating room. Law had just finished a difficult procedure that had lasted hours and he felt annoyed that there was so much noise. His patient needed quiet to recuperate. It would do no good to get the patient’s heart racing when there was still a chance of them bleeding out if everything didn’t go as planned. The noise was not planned, and Law did not appreciate it one bit as he cast a look his patient’s way. The man woman was still asleep, so she would not yet be bothered by the sound. The surgeon knew that all of the hospital staff knew better than to raise a ruckus.

Law gave it a minute or so but when the noise failed to die down and in fact got louder, the dark haired surgeon decided to go take a look himself.

“Keep an eye on her vitals. I want to make sure that she is stabilized enough to have the chance to recover. She shouldn’t need any further surgery so long as she does not overexert herself.”

“We’ll keep an eye on her, Dr. Trafalgar.”

“You go make that nuisance out there calm down.”

With a nod in the direction of the nurse and the assistants, Law turned and headed for the door. The surgeon paused briefly before it as he realized the noise that was being made was coming from a single person. It appeared to be male, and angry, for some reason or another. Law shook his head irritably and exited the room, only to stop short at the sight that greeted him.

Staring down the barrel of a gun, no matter from what distance, was very surreal.

Things became a blur after that as the owner of the gun raved and threatened to see his ex to 'finish up' when the police suddenly stormed the corridor as if that were their signal to do so. A multitude of shots rang out in quick succession at the same time Law felt something warn and solid collide with him and take him to the ground. And since he’d been taken to the ground before, Law had to wonder if it was the same person who had been helping him the past month or not. Everything became eerily silent after the screaming and yelling died in the wake of the gunshots, but what Law was hyper aware of was of the body that appeared to be shielding him. And the person in question didn’t seem to be moving.

Had they been shot?

Law stilled as the person over him shifted slightly. The surgeon only had time to briefly register the police uniform before he saw a shaggy mess of blond hair and heard the now familiar soft voice.

"We really have to stop meeting like this."

A helpless laugh was dragged out of Law at the absurdity of it all, though the surgeon's voice was quite steady, even if it was slightly muffled due to the fact that other man still half on top of him. "I'm not usually so danger prone as I have been of late." Law was rewarded with a dazzling smile as the blond haired man propped himself up to one side to stare down at him. The sight of that smile made Law's brain malfunction for some reason, so he struck to the facts. The other man was a police officer.

An officer.

Things clicked into place and suddenly it made a lot more sense of the reason why the blond had helped him out. If he was a police officer, he would likely know the trouble spots of the city if he went on patrol. And even if the blond happened to be off duty, he clearly had no problem stepping in to help Law out of some very dangerous situations.

Finding out that the other man was a police officer was something that Law had no trouble processing, but even facts were hard to stick to when someone was nearly in your personal breathing space. Law wondered if the blond was trying to figure out if he really was all right or not. At most, the surgeon figured that the wind had been briefly knocked out of him, and that he had not been shot. Law returned his gaze to the blond haired officer, and felt that the man was certainly staring him in the eyes with what appeared to be a mixture of concern and relief.

"Hey, let him breathe." There was a laugh from overhead somewhere. Another officer, no doubt. "I can't believe you tripped over your own feet to get the doc here out of harm's way."

Law traded glances with the blond and amended his previous thought. A clumsy police officer, who was still half lying over him and who now wore a sheepish expression. Not that Law was truly bothered. He was grateful to have not have ended up with bullet wounds. But the way that the blond looked at him made Law wonder just why the officer had helped him, apart from the idea that it perhaps stemmed from his profession.

"I suppose that I am lucky that you've been around to save me, Mr. Officer." Law said wryly, when he realized that the other man still hadn’t moved from where he was. As if the blond was concerned that something or someone else was going to try and harm him. The surgeon didn’t blame him; Law felt that he was in danger far too often as of late. He wouldn’t have been surprised at this point if there had been another shooter around. The dark haired surgeon was distracted when the blond spoke in return to his semi-sarcastic way of giving thanks.

"Rocinante." The blond haired officer smiled again as he carefully moved back to allow Law to rise. "It's Rocinante."

"Or Corazon." One of the other officers said slyly. "He likes his nicknames, don't you?"

“Which do you prefer to be called?” Law asked mildly. The dark haired surgeon decided that he found Rocinante or Corazon or whatever it was he chose to call himself to be quite adorable when he blushed. Even more so when, as he got to his feet, Rocinante somehow managed to fall right back over for no apparent reason. It was another sign that Law had a problem when he found the sight somehow endearing in a way. The dark haired surgeon had no clue as of yet that he had further dug himself a hole in that regard to his reaction to Rocinante as he added. "If you ever injure yourself with all those falls, I can patch you up, if you’d like."

The genuine smile that Law received happened to make the surgeon happier than he had been in days, which was quite a feat. Once Rocinante had left with the other officers and everything had wound down to normal again, Law went back into the operating room to check on his patient. But as the dark haired man went to fill out some paperwork, he remembered with a jolt that he had no way to contact the other man again. Though Rocinante being a police officer narrowed down where he worked a great deal.

Law didn’t know what to do about it, so he stuck to work in the hospital because it was familiar and predictable.

-x-

Law had forgotten that his roommates were likely to have heard of the shooting. Therefore, the surgeon had not been prepared for them to intrude upon his personal space as soon as he walked in through the front door of the house with demands to know if he was unhurt. Outwardly, Law remained aloof as he reassured them both that he was fine, but in the inside, Law was genuinely pleased that his roommates did continue to worry about his well-being, whether it be from danger or that he had forgotten to eat a meal.

The dark haired surgeon thought of the blond haired police officer ten minutes later and spent a good half hour cursing up a storm as he remembered yet again that he had no way to contact Rocinante.

"Law, are you all right?" Penguin decided to ask the question after Law spent the better part of an hour after his curses pacing and muttering crossly under his breath.

“I’m not sure.” The dark haired surgeon caught himself mid-step and sat down on an open chair on the living room with a sigh. "I think I'm losing my mind."

“Really?” Shachi grinned over at his other roommate from where he was seated on a second chair. "That would be a first."

"A police officer got me out of the way of a gunman today, remember?" Law figured it would be all over the news by now, if not the next morning, by the welcome home he had received from Shachi and Penguin.

"And being saved made you lose your mind?" Penguin was skeptical.

"No, it was just that he'd been the same one helping me from before.” Law said, as he frowned briefly at just how many times Rocinante helped him get out of whatever predicament he’d happened to get himself in to.

“The blond haired man you were talking about from before?” Shachi and Penguin exchanged glances, before the latter spoke. "He's the police officer that helped you today, then?"

Law nodded, but couldn't quite explain what he'd experienced after a few exchanged words. However, he'd been occasionally bringing up the encounters with the blond haired man, and the reasoning behind the man continuing to show up to help him. Rocinante really had no reason to go out of his way to prevent anything bad from happening to Law, after all, even if he was a police offcier.

Penguin and Shachi again exchanged glances with one another, apparently due to the dark haired man’s sudden inability to speak. And then, just like that, both of them ended up beaming at Law.

"Sounds like someone has a crush." Shachi teased.

"It does. Who'd have thought? I thought he was going to be grumpy and alone for the rest of his life." Penguin sounded amused. "If nothing else, he'll have someone to talk to other than us."

Law tried to disagree with his roommates' cheerful jabs, but he didn't try very hard, mainly because he knew that they were happy for him more than anything. But there was no use denying how he reacted to the thought of Rocinante. It was different than how he felt around his roommates, his other few friends, and his colleagues at the hospital.

But how the dark haired surgeon’s feelings factored into the whole grand scheme of things changed nothing about the fact that Law looked forward to running into Rocinante again, whenever and wherever that may be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a preference for writing the character name as Rocinante and not Rosinante. And since I can't remember when I originally posted the chapters of the fic, other than the first chapter (to show when it was first put online on ffn), each update/revised chapter that I put up here will be the date it is added to the fic.


	3. Chapter 3

In the end, Law decided to not stalk Rocinante at the police station, as he felt that would not be the kind of thing that he would do. The surgeon wasn't even sure which unit the blond was with anyway and Law had no desire to make a fool of himself to locate a single person. He didn't even know what he'd say at this point were he to run across Rocinante.

_Hey, you've saved me so many times that I thought maybe we could talk sometime when I'm not in imminent danger?_

Even in his head the statement sounded stupid and Law was no idiot. The dark surgeon also believed that it sounded like an excuse to merely run into Rocinante with increasing frequency. The thought of wanting to see the blond haired officer more often led to the question of why Law wanted to run into that clumsy fool again in the first place. Law already had his roommates to talk to as well as his colleagues. The surgeon wasn't sure that he wanted to let another person get close to him, personal or otherwise, because he did not want to chance jeopardizing his job or his patients by perhaps becoming distracted in some way. And for some reason that he wasn’t entirely sure of why, Law believed that Rocinante was a bit of a distraction because the surgeon happened dwell on the blond haired man a little too often than he felt he ought to have.

Since it was making him run in mental circles trying to figure things out, Law decided that he would put the entire matter aside as he went in for work that day at the hospital. Work was good. Work was routine and he knew of almost everything that could potentially happen while doing his job. He had even come to expect and anticipate his roommates and his friends’ actions, but Rocinante...

Law dropped his clipboard at the memory of the smile that Rocinante had last flashed him. With an annoyed hiss, the surgeon bent down to retrieve what he'd dropped, before he stared at the paperwork unseeingly. It was odd that he was getting worked up over a single person, but it rather bothered Law when he couldn’t figure something, or someone, out. Rocinante acted differently than what Law expected from most people and the uncertainty gave him pause. It was unexpected for the surgeon to come across a person who didn’t fit certain criteria that Law had in his mind for other people.

By the end of his shift, Law found that he had continued to twist himself in knots over the blond haired police officer and his confusing actions. The surgeon decided then and there in the break room that he would eat out tonight before going home, so as to avoid awkward questions from his roommates. Law felt that going out to a restaurant that night would help to calm and relax him. It would also help to get him back on track and allow for the dark haired surgeon to stop with the worry over whether he'd see Rocinante sometime soon again or not.

Going out to eat that night didn’t help in the least bit with his predicament, because it was at the restaurant that Law went to dine at that he saw the man again.

-x-

Law couldn't believe this. Here he was trying to remedy what he felt was a problem and there was the cause of said problem a few booths down surrounded by a rowdy group of people. Law highly doubted any of them were cops but then again Rocinante didn't look like one either without his uniform. What he was wearing intrigued Law, however silly it may have seemed to the surgeon at the time.

Rocinante currently wore a very tacky shirt covered in hearts.

Law dropped his eyes to his plate and pursued his salmon with his fork, inwardly horrified that the messy blond haired man looked almost...cute in that shirt, even though it was utterly ridiculous. Throughout the rest of his meal, the dark haired surgeon tried and failed to stop catching glimpses of Rocinante, and could only hope that each time he lifted his gaze to that table that he didn’t meet the blond’s eyes.

Because Law wasn’t sure what to say or do about the fact that he would have been caught gawking at another person.

Law signaled for a bill a half hour or so later, as he hoped to vacate the premises without being spotted. After he gave one last look at the table Rocinante had been at, the surgeon found himself vaguely disappointed that the blond had gotten up at some point since he’d last checked the table. The rowdy people were still there, so Law assumed that the blond had gone to use the bathroom or something. If he was going to get away undetected, now was the time to do so.

The dark haired surgeon left a little extra money because he didn’t care to wait for change to leave a tip; and the waiter deserved it for dealing with the surgeon’s demand to be brought food that was not contaminated by bread. Law had, however minimally, apologized because he had momentarily had a slip of memory to tell them not to bring bread in his general presence. And he had only forgotten because he had been thinking about Rocinante. And then the blond haired officer had been there.

As Law made his way to the entrance of the restaurant and stepped foot outside, the dark haired surgeon knew that he should have known better than to think he'd get away without Rocinante somehow figuring out he was there.

"Do you always eat alone?" A voice called out to him just as Law began to walk away.

Law halted his single minded determination to get to the train as fast as was humanly possible. With an effort, the surgeon turned around to face the speaker.

It was Rocinante, and the blond haired officer still looked utterly ridiculous in that shirt.

The dark haired surgeon gave a casual shrug. "Sometimes. I usually have breakfast at the hospital if I go in early and I occasionally have dinner with my roommates. It all depends on when my shifts start and how late they run."

“I…see.” Rocinante obviously didn't know what to say to that, so he changed tracks and spoke casually. "You seem to be keeping out of trouble today. How about since the last time we've met?"

“I have been perfectly fine.” Law had to smile at the blond’s words, and he caught a similar one cross Rocinante’s face, like he had liked seeing Law smile at something he had said. Law reverted back to a neutral expression as he thought that maybe he ought to go. By now he didn't doubt that he'd run into Rocinante again. There seemed to be something fishy about the way he ran into him so frequently, but Law figured he could always ask another time. He's been caught off guard this time around. "No life threatening danger as of late, so no need to follow me home today." Why would he say that? Law decided it just slipped out and hastily added. "I do have some chores to take care of."

That was true, most of the time, unless Penguin and Shachi had already done the chores for the day. As soon as they had caught wind that Law had made contact with another human being they appeared to be doing everything in their power to make sure that Law had as much free time as he could.

The surgeon wasn't sure whether to thank them or strangle them yet.

"I see, that's too bad." Rocinante said, and his voice even seemed to reflect faint disappointment.

“I do have to get things done when I can with my work.” Law was struck by the fact that Rocinante appeared almost saddened that he had to go. Or was it because Law didn't want him following along after him to his house again? Law felt that he must have imagined it because the blond now offered him a tiny smile of understanding.

"I guess I'm not surprised. A surgeon's schedule must be pretty hectic. You don’t have very much time to relax, I suppose?"

"Sometimes I do not have that luxury. The hospital can get a little crazy with an influx of patients." Law didn't ask how Rocinante knew what he did. The last the dark haired man knew was that the blond was aware that he was a doctor of some sort. Had he asked someone at the hospital for clarification? Law's lips twitched up into a smirk, and decided to pose a question back to the blond. "And a police officer's schedule isn't busy?"

Rocinante shrugged but he had a faintly amused expression nonetheless. He was certainly staring at Law very hard, like he was trying to figure him out. With a sigh that signaled his reluctance to reenter the restaurant, Rocinante started to turn away. "Be careful on your way back home. You don't want thugs to jump you again."

Law felt a pang of annoyance at that statement. He wasn't completely helpless provided that he actually paid attention to his surroundings. Not thinking, the surgeon responded. "I wouldn't have been accosted by those 'thugs' if I hadn't been thinking about why you fell over out of the blue in that restaurant in the first place." Law snapped his mouth shut and froze in place as Rocinante paused and half turned with a quizzical look on his face.

"You were distracted so much by a random stranger falling over that you forgot to look where you were going?" Rocinante looked like he was taken aback that a stranger had had concern for him and his fall.

Law said nothing as he cursed inwardly. Why was it that it was so much more difficult for him to speak to this man than any of his few friends or his colleagues? Law kept well away of Shachi's cheerful statement of him having a crush on the blond haired officer. Law didn't. He just found Rocinante intriguing because he didn't act like other people that he was used to dealing with.

That was all.

Rocinante glanced at the restaurant before he looked back at Law. He seemed to be thinking, but whatever it was he apparently kept to himself as he prompted the surgeon with a teasing little smile. "I thought you said you needed to get home?"

Law would after he did one more thing. The surgeon drew out a pen and stepped toward Rocinante. He saw the other man tense, but Law merely grabbed one of his hands and turned it toward him to scribble on, before he had time to change his mind. The surgeon even added his name, if Rocinante hadn't yet figured it out.

Throughout the process, Rocinante wore a small smile, and didn't appear to be as unsure as he had been before. He looked at the number Law had written on the palm of his hand before the blond haired man eyed the surgeon. Rocinante’s smile was a little bigger and a great deal happier than it had been before. "Are you sure you want to give your number to a cop?" Rocinante checked his hand again. "Law?"

Law felt more confident than he had been around the man before and answered without missing a beat. "You asked me if I was staying out of trouble, didn't you? So now you have a way to check without having to run in to me at random."

Whatever Rocinante may or may not have said to that was interrupted by someone calling for him in the restaurant.

Law made his escape while Rocinante was distracted, relieved that the blond had not noticed that he had been stealing glances at him all throughout his dinner.

-x-

Back at home, Law was able to be properly mortified with himself. Had he just subtly flirted with Rocinante? A police officer, no less. Would the blond take it the wrong way? Or was Law just imaging things again? He wasn't quite sure because he was still hung up on the fact that he had done what he'd done. But it'd been harmless. It wasn't really any different than giving his friends his number...was it?

Law lingered on that happy smile a little longer than he ought to have, but the surgeon had his answer three hours later about what the blond haired man thought of the exchange via a text message.

_'Are you free for lunch on Thursday?'_

_-Rocinante_

Well, at least that meant Law wouldn't be arrested for making a pass at the police officer. Or whatever the hell he'd done to make the other man smile as he had. Law leaned over his bed and stretched across to his desk to squint at his schedule. What did you know? He had that day off, which was rare. Was that done on purpose or did the blond just have free time that day? Law responded with a text of his own and he pretended that he didn't smile when he got a quick reply.

And then Law was embarrassed, because it seemed as if Rocinante had noticed him giving him looks after all, as another text appeared.

_‘Was I doing something funny that made you stare at me so much back at the restaurant?’_

Law didn’t respond to that until the next morning with a prompt ‘no’ before realizing that he may have to provide another explanation at some point in time.   The dark haired surgeon had no idea at the time that offering his number to the blond haired officer would lead to him meeting up with Rocinante with increasing frequency during his free time.

-x-

The lunch with Rocinante was fast approaching, and Law caught himself thinking about meeting the blond haired officer while he worked, though luckily only during his breaks. Or when he wasn't actively engaged in trying to prevent someone from bleeding out on the operating table. Law felt that it was good to know that he could still operate on patients with precision with his entire focus on the procedure at hand. Not once had he been interrupted by thoughts of Rocinante's happy smile while he had operated on his patients in surgery.

It was oddly reassuring to Law. It meant that things weren't nearly as bad as the dark haired surgeon previously thought they might be. Law had been concerned that his job would be negatively affected if he were to start to see Rocinante more often, and not at random as they had been before. Instead, Law was almost elated at the opportunity to meet with Rocinante more often. And not just when he was in some sort of mortal peril. The blond haired officer had certainly seemed to be relieved that he was well when he had met him outside that restaurant after dinner. Law’s relatively good mood was picked up on by several of his colleagues, as well as some of the nurses that he worked with.

Law was forever grateful that none of them called him on it, and merely offered him encouraging smiles. It was kind of irritating after a while, though, when the dark haired man really thought about it. Honestly, did everyone think he was an unsociable recluse outside of his job?

The short answer was yes, yes he was.

Law blamed Shachi and Penguin for that, partially because the former ended up in contact with the nurses and assistants often (his red haired roommate worked on tech at the hospital, and he was quite popular amongst the female nurses). Law could only begin to think just what kinds of things Shachi might be saying about him behind his back, even if the surgeon knew that his roommate would not do it out of spite.

The dark haired surgeon reclined in his chair in the break room of the hospital and frowned. Maybe he wasn't as sociable as other people, but he still had his roommates and he talked to them when he wasn’t otherwise working. And while he didn't have a lot of friends other than them, he still had them to speak to if he really needed someone to talk to. Law didn't like the feeling of being swamped by too many people in his personal life in any case. The hospital was different with its hectic pace and people crowding around to make reports and get him the instruments that he needed to operate successfully on any one patient.

It was familiar and no longer bothered Law anymore. It was his profession and he knew that he would be interacting with vast amounts of people of all kind. He expected it when he had made his decision to become a surgeon. But outside of the hospital…that was when Law run into more trouble.

It was as if he couldn't behave as he did around those in the hospital. It was as if he had to drag himself into another set of rules and regulations. And to follow those rules in order to deal with others outside of work. It didn't always work in a non-work setting and in fact got him a few strange looks. Penguin and Shachi had playfully teased him about his mannerisms and actions outside of his profession, when they were getting to know him. Law still had no idea how he'd become friends with either of them, nor how he had managed to come to like them enough that he let them stay in his life. He even rented out the two extra bedrooms of his home to them for practically nothing, due to how hard each of them worked at their job. Law was appalled that they still made so little money, as he felt they should have gotten raises a long time ago.

Law returned home and as he glanced at the clock in the kitchen, for some reason he remembered that it was Wednesday. Meaning that he was going to meet Rocinante for lunch the very next day. To make matters worse, Penguin and Shachi cornered Law on his way to his bedroom and cheerfully steered him into the living room to discuss his suddenly elated state. Law finally gave in and told both of his roommates that he was going to meet Rocinante, the police officer he'd told them about, tomorrow. Law damn near scowled at the pair of them as they grinned at him.

"So, are you going on a date with your officer?" Shachi questioned.

"He isn't mine, and no, it isn't like that. It's just lunch." Law held back an impatient sigh as he was forced to recount his meetings with Rocinante, and the fact that Law had given the blond haired officer his phone number. Law would have liked it if Penguin and Shachi would quit exchanging glances as they were. It made him uncomfortable because he didn't know what the look between them meant.

"I don't know Law, I think he's interested…"

Law cut Shachi off impatiently. "I told you two that it isn't like that. It's just a lunch. Everyone needs to eat." Law made his escape from his roommates and their still grinning visages, like they were pleased that at the very least he was going to talk to another person. Unfortunately, Law was now even more concerned about having lunch with Rocinante the next day. He didn't want that kind of a relationship with anyone, he really didn't, but Law doubted very much that it was going to be anything other than lunch and maybe some idle chatter.

There was nothing to worry about.

-x-

Law felt there was something wrong with him when he took much longer to get dressed the next morning, despite not having to actually go out until later in the day. He'd been in his room since the early morning hours after he'd caught Penguin and Shachi being amused with his sudden excess energy that had caused him to unnecessarily clean the entire two bathrooms in the house at three in the morning (he hadn't slept much-three hours at most). Why both of his roommates were awake at the time, Law didn't know or care, though he was fairly sure that it was because Shachi was helping Penguin catch up on his work.

Law finally had to physically stop himself from giving in to the nervously energized state that had overtaken him, when he realized that he had been fussing over the state of his hair and the bed head it always became whenever he slept.

The cell phone buzzed, indicating he'd received a text.

' _Is one in the afternoon all right?'_

Law sent an affirmative before he gave his hair one final look in the mirror before he seized his white, spotted hat and crammed it onto his head. He couldn't wear it at the hospital, so he might as well wear it when he could. The surgeon forgot that he would take it off when he went out to eat, but for now the thought was far from his mind as the phone buzzed again.

' _Great. See you then.'_

The decision of the restaurant had been decided the day before. But Law was rather irritated that he was still nervous over a damn lunch, and blamed his roommates for making his thoughts wander around so unnecessarily.

Lunch was lunch. It was perfectly harmless.


	4. Chapter 4

Nothing earth shattering happened when Law got off the train at the nearest stop to the restaurant later that day. No danger and no life threatening situations arose that he needed to be rescued from. The surgeon took that as a sign that everything was perfectly fine and that it was just like any other day of the week.

Law really needn't have worried so much about meeting up with Rocinante for lunch. The nervousness appeared to have vanished the moment he neared his destination by foot. By the time Law reached the building, he felt himself again, and had no problem spotting the blond haired man, who stood at least two feet higher or more than the rest of the pedestrians walking by. Law caught sight of the cigarette that Rocinante was smoking idly as the man stared off into the distance. That was something that Law hadn't witnessed before. He had never caught a whiff of smoke the other times he had run into the man at random. Or perhaps he had been so concerned with making sure he was intact and uninjured he had no time to pay attention to minor details.

"Smoking is bad for your health, you know." Law calmly said. It was the first thing that came to mind as he approached the blond haired officer.

Rocinante jerked, as if coming out of some deep thought. The blond smiled at Law's approach as he responded. "I know, but it can be very relaxing at times."

"Until you develop cancer." Law left it at that, as he felt that it wasn't his business to make someone stop something against their will. It had to be their decision to do so. It wasn't his to make. Law didn't like it when people told him that he needed to get out more, so he understood what it felt like to be told that he should or shouldn't do something. So the dark haired surgeon said nothing more on the subject.

The blond haired officer apparently noticed, because he offered Law a tiny smile as he finished smoking. Rocinante stubbed out the cigarette and disposed of it before he took a look at Law, his smile brightening. "So you _can_ dress casually. I thought you went around looking stiff all of the time." Rocinante's eyes lingered on the hat. "I haven't seen that before."

"That's usually because I was going to or from work when you ran into me before, and the hospital tends to frown on hats of this kind, or any, for that matter, for practicing surgeons." Law commented, before he indicated the restaurant. "Do you need another cigarette or are you ready to go get lunch?" Law wanted to get inside before his eyes lingered too long on Rocinante. He looked nice in casual dress as well, and without that tacky heart shirt. The sweater was better, Law decided, before he focused on Rocinante's face instead before it was obvious that he had let his eyes rove over the other man.

"I'm fine." Rocinante responded as he partially ducked into the building. "I haven't had much to eat today."

Law hid a smile. He figured that most doorways might be a bit too small for the officer. He was just relieved for some reason that Rocinante hadn't tripped himself into the restaurant. Second hand embarrassment, perhaps.

There was a minor mishap of Rocinante collapsing into the booth instead of sitting down. But after ordering the food and drink, the lunch was just like any other that Law might have had with a colleague of his or his friends. It was perfectly innocent, just like Law had anticipated, and the conversation was nice. Law did like to have someone to talk to, as when he went to a restaurant alone, it could get lonely.

Not that Law would have admitted it. He could do quite well all on his own.

Law was quietly pleased that Rocinante was clearly more interested in what he had to say than the food that they had ordered. It made Law…happy, almost, though he did slyly tell Rocinante that his food was getting cold after the man had listened to him talk about the stresses at the hospital that he would regularly encounter. Law felt a private victory for getting the blond to knock his silverware off the table by making him flustered.

It was fascinating, the way the blond haired officer would react to his words. Law had even learned an amusing fact from this meeting, when Rocinante answered his question about why the other cop had said that he would occasionally be called Corazon.

"I accidently turned up for training in my pajamas one day, and they were covered in hearts. The nickname unfortunately stuck after this little old lady in the station that day clucked her tongue at me and said 'Corazon' and a couple of other words that I didn't understand."

Law found himself enjoying Rocinante's company so much that he was reluctant to end the meal, even though they'd been in the restaurant for over two hours. It was yet another feat that Law didn't want to immediately go shut himself up in his house right now either.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Rocinante's phone ringing ended up ending their lunch before either of them could get themselves to bring up the notion. Because Law wasn’t the only one reluctant to leave.

Rocinante appeared embarrassed as he fumbled for the phone. "Sorry, I need to get this."

Law watched as the blond got a hold of the phone, and answered it. Did he work that day after all? The change that came over Rocinante caused Law to still, and he found himself more fascinated than ever because the blond haired officer's expression went from cheerful to serious as he listened to the other end of the line.

"I'll be there shortly." Rocinante hung up the phone and pocketed it. The serious expression lessened as it was replaced with a rueful smile as he focused on Law again. "There's been an incident. I need to go and help take care of it."

Law nodded in understanding. Being a surgeon, the dark haired man was used to being called in at odd hours, even on his days off.

"Sorry." Rocinante apologized again, but before he rose to leave he settled some money on the table. The blond began to leave the booth but as he got up he tripped over the short ledge that was there and tumbled over to the ground.

Law was aware of the fact that he had almost laughed at the sight as he automatically went to assist Rocinante in getting back up. His hands lingered on the blond's shoulders for a little longer than necessary, but if Rocinante noticed he didn't show it as he sat up in a seated position.

"Thank you."

Law saw a smile flashed his way, before the Rocinante got to his feet and left. Law settled back in the booth and after a quiet moment of reflecting, let his eyes fell on the money. The surgeon realized after a quick count that Rocinante had left behind enough money to cover both of their meals. Law actually found the gesture endearing, but really felt that he should pay for his own meal. The only reason Law could think of the other man leaving extra money was for his work to call and interrupt their meal. Law pocketed the change after he had left a tip, and decided that he would give Rocinante the change the next time he saw him.

-x-

Back at home, Law began to wonder if Penguin and Shachi weren't on the right track after all. Because the dark haired surgeon had noticed that his heart had beat a little faster when he'd been close to Rocinante's back, helping him up and felt in that moment that the other man gave off more heat...perhaps because of his nearly two feet taller than he was, and that meant more surface area and...

Law's thoughts immediately crashed to a halt at the thought of lingering on Rocinante and the surgeon quickly thought of some boring medical terms until he felt centered and calm again. The feeling passed and Law presumed that he'd again imagined something that really wasn't there to be found.

The fact that he waited half the evening for Rocinante to text him made Law realize that he most certainly felt _something_ about the blond haired officer. The dark haired surgeon just wasn't sure what it was, or what he was to make of those feelings.

-x-

Law didn't hear from Rocinante for days after that shared lunch they had had and he wondered if it was because of whatever the blond had been called into the police station for. Or maybe it was because Law himself had reverted back to being partially anti-social with a whole lot of sarcasm lying in wait to strike out at the unwitting (i.e. being stubborn and not texting Rocinante himself to get an answer). The dark haired surgeon had begun to feel as if he may have been acting a little unlike himself since meeting the blond haired officer. Even if Law was in a much better mood than he had been in years since...

The dark haired surgeon shook his head. He wasn't about to dwell in the past. Law stared off across the living room of his house and let out a sigh. Even if he was acting in a way that he considered normal, it didn't change one fact.

That he was almost, almost offended that he hadn't been contacted by Rocinante. The truth of the lack of correspondence, however, was something that Law really shouldn't have been surprised about in the least bit.

And it made dangerous, confusing thoughts go through his mind that the surgeon didn’t know what to do with.

-x-

Law's day went like many of the previous ones. Operate on a patient, fill out paperwork, take a break and drink some coffee, operate on another patient or two, take another short break, fill out some more paperwork. And so on and so forth. The dark haired surgeon again felt that he would have liked for Rocinante to contact him, but Law knew that he wouldn't want someone to interrupt his work, so he didn't do anything. Shachi and Penguin had even been encouraging him to just send Rocinante a text, as they pointed out that he didn't have to answer it when he was occupied and that the blond haired offcier could do so when he had down time. Still Law didn't send a text, as if he were incapable of putting into words that he wanted to talk to Rocinante again.

So he waited instead.

At the end of his shift that day, Law's mood had become sarcastic to the point that it was nearly painful to both himself and the people around him. He was more stressed out than ever that day after that argument over a patient undergoing surgery against the parent's wishes, and it left him in a sour mood. It had been necessary to perform the surgery to save the patient. Losing part of a limb was better than dying from such a wound. Why were people so difficult sometimes?

The bad mood started to dissipate as something caught Law's eyes, and another emotion began to take over as the surgeon suddenly found himself smile faintly at the sight of a familiar tall figure. Who was currently standing before the help desk and speaking to one of the receptionists. Who then pointed over Rocinante's shoulder.

At him.

Law honestly shouldn't have been surprised, but he still froze in place as Rocinante turned and spotted him.

And immediately lit up with a smile.

Law felt that it was unfair when the other man smiled at him like that. It caught him off guard. Law didn't know what to do about all of the people in the hallway, so he waited where he was as Rocinante approached him. The closer he got, the more Law realized that Rocinante appeared to be embarrassed.

Law settled for an aloof appearance, as if he weren't surprised in the least that the blond haired officer was there in the hospital. And wearing his uniform and looking rather...nice in it. Had his shift ended or was it about to start?

Rocinante offered a slip of paper when he reached Law, and leaned over a little as he whispered. "I accidently destroyed my phone while on assignment."

Law took the offered piece of paper before he caught sight of Rocinante retreating with what the surgeon was certain was a faint trace of a blush.

Again, interesting. Or could it have been because Rocinante was self-conscious of the fact that his clumsiness had perhaps factored into the destruction of the phone?

Law looked at the scrap of paper that Rocinante had just given him. And damned if he didn't immediately flush faintly as well, because written on the piece of paper was a phone number. Rocinante's phone number, no doubt, and there was a scribbled message beneath it as well.

' _You can call or text me too, you know. I don't bite. Not much, anyway, unless I get to know someone well enough.'_

Law hastily stuffed the paper away into a pocket as a few curious nurses surrounded him and immediately set about teasing him good naturedly over his blush. The dark haired surgeon made a getaway amid their giggles, and felt he that he must have become further flustered when one of the nurses, bolder than the rest, called out loudly after him.

"Good for you, Dr. Trafalgar! That officer was hot. I'm _so_ jealous. You should ask him if there are any other single cops and send 'em our way!"

Law locked himself in a bathroom stall and luckily wasn't needed for another hour. By the time he emerged from the restroom and acted as if he hadn't been there at all, the surgeon had relaxed himself enough to take the more subdued teasing from some of the nurses and assistants. At the very least, they had realized they had made Law uncomfortable.

But not uncomfortable enough that they didn't tease him just a little more.

Law worked automatically for the last few hours of his shift, vaguely wondering what to make of the message currently in his pocket. Was it what he thought it was? And if it was, what should he do about it, and how should he respond?

-x-

In the end, Law ended up holding on to the number for three days before he decided that he would find out the intention behind the message from the blond himself. Law had finished puzzling away over it on his own by now and wanted a direct answer.

_'Does this mean that you want to get to know me better?'_ Law sent the message after fretting over it for fifteen minutes.

_'If it is all right with you.'_ Rocinante had sent the text within ten minutes.

_‘It would be fine with me.’_ Law sent the text and received a reply seconds later.

_'Then yes, I'd like that. Do you want to go out to lunch again sometime? Hopefully my phone wouldn't interrupt us again.'_

Law's heart fluttered seemingly at random, and for a moment he was worried that he was going to faint. But the dark haired surgeon knew, after he sent a yes back to Rocinante, that there was no way in hell he was going to get a wink of sleep that night. Instead, Law went through a marathon cleaning of the entire house like a man possessed, and it left him an exhausted heap on the couch by the time morning rolled in. Luckily for the dark haired surgeon he didn't work that day and could rest.

But the exhilarated feeling remained, and Law couldn't figure out how to explain it. After all, that text exchange only met that he was going to meet with Rocinante again sometime.

It wasn’t like it was going to be anything more than that.


	5. Chapter 5

In the following weeks, Law and Rocinante had begun to meet for a near daily lunch, as both of their schedules tended to be open the most at that time of the day. As one month and then another passed, they'd even begun to meet elsewhere during those times that lunch was not an option for either of them. And it had to be somewhere between their two workplaces, just in case one of them was called in sooner than they had to be back. That meant a good amount of the city was open to them, but there was also the sprawling park with its lake that both men liked.

Law secretly enjoyed the strolls in the park more than eating out, because both he and Rocinante were able to speak more freely about things than when they were in a crowded restaurant with potential eavesdroppers. Law noticed that his talks with blond haired officer revolved around mainly mundane, everyday things, such as their jobs and the stress that they would both experience from it. There were even random conversations about the weather.

And then, without warning, Rocinante threw Law off again, and with a relatively innocent question, at that.

-x-

"Are you seeing anyone, Law?"

Law stared at Rocinante, perplexed, his spoon half way to his mouth at the unexpected question. He lowered the utensil as he frowned at the other man. "No, I am not. Why?"

Rocinante shrugged. "I just thought you might be. You're, well, I mean…" The blond haired man searched for the right word, failed, and with a sheepish expression shook his head. "Never mind."

"Being in a relationship, especially if it turned into a romantic one, would distract me from my work, so I'd rather not bother. I have enough trouble as it is with my roommates attempting to drag me out a few times a month to interact with their friends."

"Well, at least I don't have to drag you out to meet with me for a lunch." Rocinante seemed to struggle for a moment, before his manner became much more subdued. "So you think that having a relationship would be that much of a burden on your work? Even if you run into someone…that you really happen like?"

"I doubt that it would change anything if I did." Law had his eyes on his meal, so he missed the crestfallen look that briefly crossed Rocinante's face. Silence reigned for a moment before the surgeon let out an exasperated sigh, even if he was smiling. "And you do realize that you're half dressed in pajamas, don't you?"

The smile reappeared on Rocinante's face, though it was more of a hint of one than a really genuine one.

Law noticed, and wondered why. It wasn't something he'd said, was it? The dark haired surgeon didn't get to dwell on that for long, as he was distracted again by the blond haired officer's soft voice cutting through the murmur of the patrons in the restaurant around them.

"Do you want to get lunch tomorrow at the hospital? You have some free time, don't you?" Rocinante's voice was guarded, his expression oddly assessing.

Law didn't notice the look, even if he did notice the change in tone, as he thought of his schedule. "I think I do. Yes, I'd like that." The surgeon checked his watch and started with a curse. "I'm going to be late!" He rose from his seat but paused at the booth as he set money down on the table, and fixed Rocinante with a look when the other opened his mouth to argue. "I'm not going to let you pay for every meal. I have more money than I know what to do with anyway." Law had been through this with the blond haired offcier before and many times since after he'd returned the man his change from their first lunch together.

The surgeon made his getaway before Rocinante could respond, so he again missed the other man's expression as he moved farther and farther away.

Disappointment and confusion mainly, the blond haired officer clearly baffled by Law's actions and words being a little contradictory.

Law had said that he didn't want a relationship, but even the dark haired surgeon couldn't deny that he now spent more time with Rocinante than his own roommates.

-x-

Another day at the park and another day that Law was at a momentary loss of words at the direction the conversation had gone. Law had no idea why the topic of family had been avoided for so long, or perhaps he had been actively doing that, as it dredged up some unpleasant and painful memories. Law felt he had to say something on the subject in any case, as Rocinante wound down talking vaguely about his older brother and the people that he considered family, and how the two of them had drifted apart as they grew older, each focused on their own career.

By now Law and Rocinante had settled down on a bench, or rather, the surgeon had as Rocinante had somehow managed to miss the bench completely and took a tumble to the leafy ground. The blond remained there, like it was a safer place to be than to try again. Law had smiled at the sight, before he reverted to a smirk as Rocinante smiled abashedly at him in return.

"…Doffy doesn't tease me about falling over. It's more like he is so used to it that he doesn't make a big deal over it anymore. Everyone else does, though, when they get the chance. His 'family' likes to take of advantage of my clumsiness to get a good laugh." Rocinante said as he rested one of his arms on the bench and turned his face up toward Law.

"That's stupid. Why would you let them do that? Why does your brother let them do it?" Law realized that he had become aggravated though the feeling lessened somewhat as his response had caused Rocinante to offer him a tiny smile.

“They wait and make sure he isn’t around.” The blond haired officer said after a moment, his voice barely a whisper.

That ended any conversation for several long minutes. Rocinante and Law sat quietly as they watched a few people walk by, before Law rose and stretched. It seemed unfair that he would say nothing in return, even if he would be picking at a scab of a wound that he wished to leave alone for the rest of time. But Rocinante had talked about some painful things and had opened up to him. There was no reason for Law not to do so in return. So the dark haired surgeon started to talk.

"At least you still have a brother. I'd only known my parents for a short time before they both died, and I was left to take care of my younger sister. It was hard to keep us together, as people wanted to separate us into other families. But that wasn't a problem for long, because she got sick a few months later." Law felt restless, so he crossed the nearby path and over to the edge of the lake to stare at the water.

Law heard Rocinante follow him, and was aware of his presence as he came to a halt next to his side. Now that he'd started, Law found himself unable to stop. "I tried to help, but there wasn't much I could do as a ten year old other than try to cheer her up. But after the treatments didn't work and my sister died months later, I was on my own."

Rocinante shifted, like he was going to say something, but Law quickly finished as he realized that he had started to tear up over the memory itself. The surgeon thought he had better control over himself than that, but considering how long it had been since he’d last allowed these memories to surface...

Law bit his lip before he took a breath and let it out, hastily using the back of his hand to rid himself of the tears that may or may not have been there. "I wasn't alone for long, since I have my roommates now, and a couple of other people." Law's voice dropped to barely there a whisper. "And you." Law wasn't sure why he already counted the blond within his small circle of friends, but Rocinante had been around when he had asked him to be, and without complaint no matter what time of day it happened to be.

Law found that out when he'd gone on that midnight stroll that one evening weeks ago, and had realized what he was doing after he was far from home. Rocinante had gotten there as quick as he could, and had basically escorted Law home, even if the surgeon had gotten him to talk to him despite the officer’s clear worry about his decision to walk the city alone in the dead of night. At the time, Law had had an inkling that the other man worked early the next morning, but Rocinante had still come when asked without regards to how it would affect him. Because he’d been worried about Law. The dark haired surgeon had stayed up even later into the early morning hours pondering why the blond was being so protective.

Law shook himself out of his thoughts and continued to speak before he found himself unable to. It had been so long; perhaps speaking to Rocinante about his sister would help him finally come to terms with it. Or at least, to not keep it all to himself, as he had never even told his roommates that he had had a sister.

"I decided that I would become a doctor, to prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss that I had, as much as was within my power and ability. It's part of the reason that I work so hard and..." Law might have kept on talking and perhaps may have started to babble ceaselessly had he not noticed that Rocinante had gotten closer to him. Law hadn't realized that he needed the reassuring yet tentative hug that the blond haired man now enveloped him in. The surgeon appreciated the fact that Rocinante said nothing, because Law wasn't sure he would have an answer.

They'd parted ways sometime after that, but later on the next day, Law was concerned that Rocinante might bring up their discussion of families (and that hug) when they ran into one another again, but as the weeks passed nothing more had been said on the subject.

Law was grateful for that, because he truly didn't want to dwell on the past and the pain that it still brought to him.

-x-

The dark haired surgeon wasn't sure what to make of his meetings with Rocinante after his damn near tearful remembrance of his sister. There was also the fact that Law wasn't entirely sure about the whole hug thing either. But it almost seemed as if Rocinante was determined to cheer him up in some way or another, because as those weeks went by, they had begun to meet one another for more than just meals and walks in the park.

Not only had they wandered fruitlessly through a mall in search of something Rocinante could never find in the end, there was also another time they had almost gone to a movie before the blond haired man had gotten a call from the police station. Law had been amused because Rocinante had been needed next door to the theater, and he'd gotten to witness the blond take down one of the suspects with his larger frame as he wrestled the criminal into handcuffs as the other cops kept watch.

Law knew that he spent a little too much time with his eyes lingering on a panting Rocinante, who had even messier hair now. Law hastily vacated the area.

But there were other things that Law ended up going out of his house to do with Rocinante, and the surgeon found, to his surprise, that he ended up having a better time than he thought he would.

-x-

The orchestral concert featuring classical music had been Law's favorite outing yet. The music had been soothing and something that he had needed after a stressful day in the hospital. Rocinante seemed to have enjoyed himself as well, even if he had still been embarrassed about the whole thing in the first place. Law had been amused more than anything, because Rocinante had barely been able to ask him if he wanted to go to a concert with him as his brother had ditched him last minute and he had an extra ticket that he didn't want to go to waste.

Law had waved Shachi and Penguin away from him when they tried to eavesdrop, and agreed to go with Rocinante. And then Law had had to endure Shachi and Penguin fussing over him and then demanding that he wear something nice if he was going to a concert. An expensive concert. And no, his casual wear wasn't acceptable in that setting. Law had been offended. He happened to like his bright yellow and black hoodie and blue, spotted jeans. The surgeon figured that at the very least Rocinante wouldn't mind it, what with his tacky heart covered dress shirt that he happened to wear on occasion.

In the end, Law relented, as he decided that his roommates had much better taste in clothes than he, because he realized that even Rocinante appeared to like what he was wearing when he turned up outside the building. Law felt self-conscious in a suit, especially when he had deemed it unnecessary, but was glad that he had listened to Shachi and Penguin. Nearly everyone that he could see in the concert hall wore dresses or suits. Law had smiled at the sight of Rocinante in a suit of sorts, though he'd forgone the suit jacket and worn a vest instead. Law's eyes lingered on Rocinante for longer than was necessary and knew it because he received a mischievous smile from the blond at the attention.

Law had gone to his seat after being caught, but it was during the concert that he realized that he had not cringed away from Rocinante's presence in the seat right next to him. Nor had the surgeon twitched his hand away from Rocinante lightly tracing his fingertips over the tattoos.

Law had felt the need to bring up the physical contract later, but Rocinante had merely inquired after the tattoos that were there. Law wasn't entirely sure if that was why the blond had been tracing his hand absently as he had been while the music had been playing, or so carefully, but had given his response. That it had been because he had been told he couldn't get tattoos as a surgeon, so therefore he had while he had gone through his training.

Rocinante had smiled at that and had insisted upon looking at his hand again.

Law didn’t miss that the blond held his hand very gently.

There was something about that orchestra concert that changed things subtly, even more than when Rocinante had given him that hug in the park. After the concert, Law began to find more and more that he was reluctant to spend time away from Rocinante, so he continued to keep in near constant contact with the blond haired officer. It amazed Law that even the littlest smile from the other man made him happy, and while he was still weirded out by the feeling, he didn't mind having more of it.

Law found that he enjoyed being around Rocinante and from the looks of it, the blond haired officer too enjoyed his company. And the surgeon was about to find out just how much Rocinante liked being around him.

-x-

It had been nearly six months since Law and Rocinante had been getting together to eat out, converse with and otherwise spend time with one another. It was because of this that Law presumed that they had gone to a pricey restaurant to eat out that night. Like Law somehow staying around for a half a year was a miracle.

The surgeon didn't argue that point. It was very rare that he could stand most people's company, so the fact that he spent so much time with Rocinante was telling. It did help that the blond haired man didn't push him to meet up with him or otherwise make him feel like he was obligated to see him.

Law just wanted to.

The surgeon was displeased after all this time that he still couldn't figure Rocinante out. He still didn't act like most people he was used to dealing with. But it didn't seem to matter anymore.

Dinner that night was an enjoyable affair, and Law discovered, now more than ever, that he really liked being around Rocinante. The other man appeared to feel similarly, although there appeared to be something more in the way that he was looking at Law, even if he was happy enough to engage in conversation.

It was likely nothing to worry about.

-x-

Law hesitated outside his front door. For some reason, he was reluctant to have Rocinante leave, and was not sure what to do about it. It wasn't like he couldn't see him tomorrow. Why did he always have so much trouble with Rocinante than with the other people in his life?

"Law?"

The dark haired surgeon realized that Rocinante was suddenly standing very close to him, and watched as the blond haired man leaned over. The surgeon picked up faint traces of cigarette smoke lingering from earlier, but Law otherwise made no outward movement as he studied Rocinante and looked him in the eyes. The other man appeared to be almost…nervous. But why would that be?

The why became crystal clear as Rocinante, after a brief hesitation on his part, closed the remaining distance between them.

Law's mind went blank at the sensation of a soft brush of lips against his own. The surgeon’s mind then started to go haywire as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

Rocinante was kissing him.

_Kissing him._

And Law found, much to his surprise, that he actually didn’t mind the gesture as much as he would have thought he might. In fact, it was rather fascinating, because he’d never been kissed on the lips before.

The kiss was brief and feather light before Rocinante drew away with an uncertain smile.

"Good night, Law."

The surgeon stared at the blond with what was likely a glazed look, his mind still preoccupied.

Rocinante fidgeted before he turned away and started to walk. He didn’t get very far before he ended up tripping and falling over.

Law watched Rocinante as the police officer hastily rose and continued on, clearly embarrassed. The surgeon remained rooted to the spot as if he physically couldn’t move away from where he stood.

Rocinante had kissed him. Did that mean that…he liked him? As more than just a friend? As more than just someone to get together with during their busy schedules? At the very least, the kiss solved one mystery. Law had been wondering why Rocinante had asked him about whether he was in a relationship or not some two or three months ago. But having that be made clear did nothing to help Law with what he was going to do in response to that kiss.

It also didn't help that Shachi and Penguin had seen the whole thing, or so it seemed, as they cornered Law outside the house. And the surgeon again saw that damn glance between the pair of them before Penguin spoke.

"So…how was it?"

Law narrowed his eyes at the other man. "How was what?"

"That kiss that your officer gave you before he fled the scene of the crime." Shachi grinned like he'd made a great joke.

"He isn't mine and he just went home." Law managed to breathe out as he stared at each of his roommates in wordless horror. He hadn't seen either of them. Had they been in the house or outside of it? Had he been so distracted by Rocinante and the fact that he hadn’t wanted him to leave that he hadn't even noticed their presence?

The answer, yes.

"It looked like you didn't mind it though." Penguin commented.

"Yeah, look at him blush." Shachi teased with a grin as he reached out to pat the surgeon on the shoulder. “You did seem happy after he kissed you.”

The dark haired surgeon wasn’t so sure about that but he could have very well been smiling. Not that Law thought he had; he’d probably never know and he wasn’t about to ask Rocinante if he had. Law's expression became set as he got up and went into the house before he made a direct beeline to his room and shut the door. Law didn't even care that he had gone to hide in his room, as he was still horrified that his roommates had witnessed the exchange. The dark haired surgeon couldn't, however, shut his ears to Shachi calling after him.

"He must really like you if he waited nearly a half a year to let you know it!"

Law dropped his face into his hands in despair and groaned.

Perhaps roommates weren't the best thing to have when you had other things to be worrying over.


	6. Chapter 6

Law didn't hear from Rocinante for a week after he had been kissed that night. The surgeon wondered if he had offended the blond haired officer in some way by not saying anything or even making the attempt to contact him afterward. Though it had been mainly because Law was still making the attempt to make sense of what had happened and what he ought to do about it.

He wasn't making great progress.

The dark haired surgeon went to work on the eighth day of not hearing anything from Rocinante. Law highly doubted it was because the blond had broken another phone. The surgeon would have figured that he would at least have given him a number like he had before if that had been the case. Halfway through his shift, the surgeon decided that he wanted to have a reason for the sudden loss of contact. Law had been feeling lonely when he went out to eat the past several days. Not that he would admit it aloud to anyone.

Law took out his phone during his break, but paused in sending a text. He didn't want to upset Rocinante, for whatever reason, because the man was such a sweetheart that Law would feel guilty if the blond took his words the wrong way. The surgeon stared at his phone. He wasn't sure when Rocinante had begun to become interested in him in a romantic sense, but six months was a long time to wait to say anything. At least, that was what Law figured. Had it meant that Rocinante was trying to decid how he felt? Law still wasn't sure, but he did know that he didn't like not hearing from the blond haired officer.

Decision made.

He would text the man.

' _Are you mad at me?'_ Law sent the text after typing and erasing several other attempts.

The surgeon received no response as he went back to work, but there was a message by the end of his shift that made the faint traces of guilt fade away.

' _I thought that you might be angry with me.'_

' _Should I be?'_ Law wasn't sure why; he was the one that hadn’t said anything after that kiss.

' _Can you meet me after work in the park? I get done at five.'_

Law agreed, and went to the park between their respective workplaces as soon as he was he finished with his shift. The surgeon didn't have to wait around for long as Rocinante appeared only a few minutes after he’d arrived. Law couldn't help but smile at the sight of the other man as he drew nearer. It looked as if Rocinante had run to meet him on time, as he was still dressed in his uniform. Law saw scratches, and figured that the other man must have tripped or fallen on the way there. It was…endearing, to see that he didn't want to make him wait alone for long.

"I'm sorry about that night. I just thought that…" Rocinante broke off awkwardly, avoiding eyed contact. "I’m sorry."

"I didn't mind the kiss…It's just that I have never been with anyone like that before…" Law didn't like the expression the blond wore, mainly because he preferred seeing the other man smile.

"That was your first kiss?" Rocinante made eye contact this time, and appeared to be more embarrassed now than anything else.

Law nodded wordlessly, though he did watch with interest as Rocinante appeared to have a mini melt down as he became further upset. Law decided then and there to keep quiet about the uncomfortable pecks on the cheek that he had received in the past by unwanted admirers. After the surgeon checked to see that no one was walking by them Law focused on the blond.

Who still happened to be talking.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked, but you were just standing there and…I'm sorry." Rocinante looked as if he wanted to dig himself into a hole as if worried that Law was going to be mad at him for stealing a kiss.

Since Rocinante wouldn't stop apologizing, Law decided to move closer to him as he reached out to rest a hand on the blond's nearest forearm to get his attention.

"I wouldn't mind it if you kissed me again, Cora." Law was surprised that he didn't mind, when before he was sure that he would have balked at the very idea of doing anything so intimate with another person. But with Rocinante...it was different, somehow, in a way that Law had difficulty trying to describe.

"What did you say?" Rocinante had perked up.

"That I wouldn't mind if you kissed me again?" The surgeon wore a bit of a confused expression.

"Before that." Rocinante was staring hard at Law.

"What? That I called you Cora?" Law didn’t see what the big deal was.

Rocinante stared at the dark haired surgeon for a moment longer before he suddenly swooped over and gave Law a hug. "It would make me happy if you called me that."

"Well, you did say that your brother called you Roci, and your whole name is a mouthful. And your coworkers will call you Corazon, so I wanted to find something that I could call you…" Law felt breathless as Rocinante squeezed him tighter, clearly pleased.

"Can't breathe…" Law gasped out, and as soon as Rocinante let go, the surgeon leaned up and pecked the blond on the cheek with a sly smirk, just to see what would happen. He rather liked the result, as the blond dissolved into incoherent babbling as he flushed faintly.

"I might not have 'gone out' with anyone before, but I don't think I'll mind it if it was with you." Law saw a delighted smile light Rocinante's entire face and decided that the blond looked much better like that. The blond haired man's smile was so infectious that Law ended up doing what he felt he ought to do in that situation. He reached out and tilted Rocinante's head as he leaned up on tiptoe to engage him in a brief, tentative kiss. Law was rather terrible at reading people in some situations, but he was fairly certain that kissing Rocinante right now would make the man even happier.

Law swayed slightly as Rocinante returned the kiss, though the surgeon felt a hand slip behind his back to steady him. Law's eyes had closed briefly as Rocinante’s lips moved against his in return and felt the blond let out a little sigh into the kiss. It was over after a moment and that was when Law realized that Rocinante had drawn away as his hand dropped away from his back.

The dark haired surgeon was nearly startled into laughter as the blond haired officer retreated with flushed face and a mumbled excuse that he had to go to work, even though he'd just finished his shift for the day. Law didn't stop him because his mind suddenly caught up with what he'd done. That he had automatically kissed Rocinante as if he'd planned it. Even it had been short and sweet, and Rocinante hadn't pushed to keep the kiss going any longer than it had to be. Like he didn't want to make the dark haired surgeon uncomfortable.

Law went straight home and sat on his couch, slipping in and out of reality as he began to muse over what had just happened. Law was still on the couch by the time his roommates arrived home, and he was unresponsive to them for a time. Especially since he had begun to fret over whether or not anyone had caught sight of him and Rocinante kissing in the park.

-x-

Penguin could tell that the dark haired surgeon was fine when he came through the front door and spotted him. It was obvious, however, that Law wasn't completely in the present, and that his mind was elsewhere from the blank look across his face.

Shachi returned home not a minute later, slightly buzzed, and collapsed on to the couch next to Law. The red haired man took one look at Law before he smiled mischievously. "Are you finally dating that cute blond haired officer?"

Law's faint blush was all the answer he needed.

"Good for you." Shachi slurred as he patted Law on the arm before he got up and weaved his way over to Penguin to hang off of the other man as he shook his head. "He definitely lacks social cues for him to not notice the guy liked 'im sooner. I think we failed him; we obviously shoulda gotten him out of the house more often."

Penguin shook his head and automatically helped Shachi stay upright as he looked at Law again, the surgeon apparently aware of his surroundings again. For the most part. "You are more spaced out than usual today."

"The officer musta kissed him again." Shachi whispered, though it was loud enough that the dark haired man heard, and with a muttered excuse fled to the kitchen.

"I guess Law's making dinner tonight." Penguin commented at the sound of food being chopped up a minute later and pans being shifted around.

"I'm glad he…he's…" Shachi paused as he leaned heavily against Penguin. "Well, he seems happy."

"Yes, and you're going to sleep off that alcohol so you don't embarrass him more." Penguin said firmly as he began to lead him along.

"No fun." Shachi muttered, but didn't protest being led to his bedroom. "And I learned a lot about some coding that I can use at the hospital."

"And how will you remember these pieces of information when you end up drunk?" Penguin asked mildly as he opened the door to the red head’s room.

Shachi was snoring by the time Penguin got him in bed, and that was answer enough.

-x-

Law ended up making enough food for all three of them to have dinner and there were still enough leftovers for several meals more for all three men. But even cooking dinner that night did nothing to distract Law from the kiss, as the surgeon found a text message on his phone as he was getting ready for bed.

_'Do you want to get together for dinner three weeks from now? My schedule is going to be pretty busy because I got a new assignment until then, but I can still meet you for lunch when there's free time in our schedules.'_

Law wondered how to tell Rocinante politely to not send him messages late at night, because the surgeon was fairly certain that he was now going to be up for at least another hour or two.

-x-

Rocinante was in an incredibly good mood. Law had finally agreed to go out with him, although the surgeon had stated it in other words. And the blond haired officer felt that it had been just like something that Law would do. Rocinante had been thrilled that Law had tentatively kissed him as he had as well. It had been unexpected but welcome. Rocinante didn't think that Law would have done that so soon. The blond couldn't believe that he had gone and run off like that. But at the very least, Law didn't appear to be upset about it, because he'd agreed to meet with him and go to dinner weeks later, as well as still meet him for lunches. Rocinante had been disappointed that he had gotten the new assignment at work when he had, but there wasn't much he could do about it. So Rocinante moved on to the next thing that he'd been thinking about lately.

Seeing how much Law would allow for physical contact, so that Rocinante wouldn't make the other man uncomfortable by doing something Law wouldn't like. But the blond was hopeful that there could be more of it eventually, despite Law's seeming aversion to PDA.

Over the next two weeks, Rocinante noticed that while short kisses may be tolerated by the dark haired surgeon, as well as the occasional hugs, other things were not all right and Law would shy away from him immediately. Like the one time that the blond had felt Law's back up during one of those kisses. As soon as Rocinante noticed the discomfort, he'd stopped immediately. After that little incident, Rocinante carefully tried to coax Law into being more comfortable around him so that they could even just sit next to one another. It was slow going, but Rocinante was very patient, and would take as much time as was needed. He certainly didn't want to scare Law off.

Rocinante thought he might have pressed a bit too much late one night when he had asked if Law wanted him to walk him home. Rocinante had developed a case of paranoia that Law might be mugged in the dead of night if he were out on his own, and usually ended up texting him to make sure that he'd gotten home on those late nights.

Law had sounded faintly exasperated at first over the idea, but had then agreed reluctantly, as if remembering the incident the first day they'd met with the thugs that had been involved. It probably helped that the blond haired officer had merely sounded concerned.

Rocinante had even gotten an unexpected bonus that made him overjoyed. He had been able to spend time with Law in his house, and the surgeon hadn't allowed that before, which Rocinante hoped meant that Law _was_ becoming more comfortable around him. By the time the blond left Law's house, Rocinante had an answer to that.

-x-

Rocinante wasn't sure how he and Law ended up on the loveseat in the living room of the surgeon's house, but Law wasn't moving away from him and the blond took that as a good sign. Rocinante was hesitant to put his arm around Law's shoulders, as he wasn't sure how he would react, so he rested a hand lightly on Law's nearest knee instead. It drew a faint flinch, which prompted Rocinante to speak softly.

"Is it all right for me to do this?" He tapped Law's knee lightly with his fingertips.

"No."

Rocinante's expression became crestfallen, thinking perhaps he shouldn't have set his hand there, when Law spoke again.

"Turn your hand over."

Rocinante hesitated at the odd request before he did as asked and turned his hand palm up. The blond lit up with a smile as Law rested his hand on top of his and linked their fingers together. Rocinante caught sight of a barely noticeable blush across Law's cheeks as the surgeon spoke straight-faced.

"Now it's all right."

Caught up over how cute the other man was being, Rocinante leaned over and pecked Law on the cheek. "So it's all right for me to stay like this for now?"

"Yes."

Rocinante had to contain his sudden overwhelming desire to hold the dark haired man to his body in a crushing hug and merely tightened his hand around Law's as he closed his eyes. Rocinante was genuinely pleased with the small gesture, and found himself even happier by the fact that Law had ended up tucked lightly against his side ten minutes later.


	7. Chapter 7

The three weeks were up, and the dinner that Rocinante had promised was drawing near. The two had been in contact about which restaurant they were going to go to, and Law had managed to get Rocinante to agree to a less pricy restaurant that had a good atmosphere. Law had also insisted on that place because it meant that he could wear his black and yellow hoodie and blue jeans. No one would give a damn what he wore there, and it was actually a place that he frequented and therefore knew the staff fairly well. And the food was better than a lot of the fancier restaurants in any case.

"Hey, Law, your boyfriend is here!" Shachi called out cheerfully.

"Don't call him that!" Law responded automatically as he came out of his bedroom and walked down the stairs to answer the door. Only to find that Shachi had already opened the door and was chatting with Rocinante. Whatever his roommate had just said had made the blond laugh, and he looked over Shachi's shoulder.

Rocinante's eyes flicked up and down as he took in Law's chosen outfit, and he laughed softly again. "I guess I can see why you wanted to go to that restaurant. Even you do look good in a suit, by the way."

"But suits are uncomfortable." Law said in response as he passed by Shachi and pretended that he didn't hear his roommate mutter 'have fun.'

Everything was going smoothly until Law and Rocinante both received a call from the restaurant they were going to that told them it had been temporarily closed for the rest of the evening. The decision to do that was made because one of the cooks had gotten into a fight with a customer and there was no sign of it winding down anytime soon. Shouts of 'shitty cook' and 'damn moss head' could be heard in the background, along with the clatter of dishware and some out of place laughter.

Law hung up his phone as Rocinante did similarly. The dark haired man glanced back at his house not one block away, before he tilted his head up at Rocinante. "Do you just want to have dinner at my house?"

"If that's fine with you." Rocinante looked like he was thrilled by the idea.

Law nodded, and he turned around to head back. He had more than enough food to have a decent meal made, but it was there in the kitchen of his home that the surgeon discovered something else about Rocinante.

The man was an absolute disaster in the kitchen.

"Go sit down. I'll finish up." Law said as he gave Rocinante a rather firm shove in the back after the surgeon had doused the small fire that had caught the blond's sleeve on fire, as well as charred some of the food.

Rocinante went without complaint as if this wasn't a new occurrence to him and promptly tripped over the rug on his way into the dining room.

Law shook his head in an almost fond way as he had Penguin, who'd come to see what the fuss was about, help him finish making the meal.

The dinner turned out well despite the initial mishaps, and Law was less annoyed with Rocinante as they cleaned the dishes after. At least, Law was until the blond playfully flicked soap suds at him. The dark haired man gave Rocinante a look and received an innocent smile in return. And more soap suds to the face. Law retaliated in kind, and soon the two were exchanging water and soap suds more than they were cleaning the dishes.

Rocinante appeared particularly pleased that he had gotten Law to laugh a little.

-x-

After being shooed out of the kitchen by Penguin for making too much of a mess, Law and Rocinante relaxed in the living room on the couch and had begun to discuss their jobs. Rocinante had mentioned that the work he'd been given three weeks previously was still ongoing, and Law had inquired what it was.

"Some undercover work. I can't say more than that, Law." Rocinante said as his face became a bit worried.

The surgeon wasn't sure if Rocinante should have even disclosed that it was undercover, but Law took that as his cue to speak about himself instead.

"Work was pretty stressful today." Law admitted as he stretched and withheld a yawn. "Mainly uncooperative patients before they went into surgery. And then there was a problem with one of the nurses..." Law let out a soft gasp as Rocinante tilted him over so that his head rested on the blond haired officer's lap. Law shot Rocinante a quizzical look, and wasn't sure what to make of the tiny smile Rocinante flashed his way. But Law didn't mind the contact and didn't move away. The surgeon cared even less what Rocinante was up to as the blond haired man began to trail his fingertips along Law's head, working at the muscles and the tense feeling that was centered near temple and jaw.

"Cora...what are you..." The fingertips dipped harder into the hairline and Law let out a barely audible sigh as he sagged into the touch without another word as his eyes closed.

Rocinante said nothing either as he continued to massage the other man's head. By the time he finished and ruffled Law's hair with one hand instead, the dark haired surgeon was very relaxed and not as tense as he had been before.

Law seemed to come out of the trance he was in, and was promptly embarrassed that he had melted so bonelessly into Rocinante's touch. He avoided the blond's eyes, but didn't move from where he still had his head resting on Rocinante's lap. He heard the blond haired officer murmur something softly, but couldn't make it out. Law didn't ask what he'd said as he rested one hand over his chest. Law didn't flinch this time when the blond rested a hand over his moments later. The surgeon was content to stay where he was as Rocinante's fingers lightly traced the back of his hand. And over the tattoos that were on the back of it. The surgeon expected questions over them again, but Rocinante seemed content to mindlessly trail his fingertips along the back of the hand.

Law would have stayed where he was for longer had he not remembered that his roommates were in the house as well. Rocinante didn't seem offended when the surgeon sat up, and that made Law relieved for some reason.

-x-

The dark haired surgeon, once he had gotten over the initial embarrassment of being close to Rocinante the night before, had decided to ask the blond a question the next day when they’d met at the lake during their lunch break. And it was a question Law felt that Rocinante should have expected, but clearly hadn’t.

“Cora?”

“Yes?” Rocinante asked as he paused in their walk around the lake.

“Are you ever going to introduce me to your brother?” Law was surprised at the change that came over the blond haired officer.

“I know I only talked about my past regarding my brother and not really the present.” Rocinante wore a serious look. “But I have no intention of having you and my brother cross paths. Not because he would disapprove of our…relationship, but because I have reason to believe that he has some unsavory businesses going on that aren’t exactly legal. I would not wish for you to ever get tangled up in something like that.” Rocinante leaned in and gripped Law’s shoulder as he looked the surgeon in the eyes. “If you do happen to meet my brother, and for whatever reason I am not around, do not stop and talk to him. Leave immediately. I worry what he would make of you if he realized that you were a surgeon and that you are…closer to me than I let most people get.”

“What would either of those things matter to your brother?” Law asked as he reached up to grip Rocinante’s forearm, the blond’s hand still on his shoulder.

“I’d rather not go into the details, mainly because I haven’t seen him in years.  So please, just avoid him if he ever shows up?” Rocinante almost pleaded.

“Very well.” Law said after a moment.

Rocinante looked relieved as he let go of Law. The serious look had lessened and a small, rueful smile took its place. “Do you want to keep walking?”

Law nodded wordlessly, and as he and Rocinante resumed walking, the surgeon couldn’t help but wonder where that had all come from.

The blond haired officer’s brother couldn’t be all that bad, could he?

-x-

Rocinante was going to meet Law at a café that day, and he was really looking forward to talking with the dark haired surgeon. Neither of them had to work that day, and the blond wanted to spend as much time with Law as he could. And hopefully the surgeon would avoid bringing up Doflamingo. Rocinante shuddered to think what would happen should the two cross paths. Rocinante had ended up lying, at least a little bit, about how long it had been since he’d last seen his brother. Not the last time he had spoken to him.  It had just made Rocinante worried over the coincidence of Law asking about the possibility of meeting his brother and then the blond haired officer hearing from Doflamingo two days later. And the last time he’d spoken to his brother was a few weeks before that.  

The blond haired officer’s work could be exhausting, and it really didn't help that since Rocinante been working undercover that Doflamingo had begun to try and contact him with increasingly elaborate demands. Most of which Rocinante ignored until he got to work and found long messages left on his work phone. Doflamingo didn't take well to being ignored when he wanted something. But Rocinante was in such a good mood that morning that not even his brother could ruin it when he called the officer again for the fifth time that week.

Rocinante answered his phone automatically, thinking that perhaps it was Law, but as soon as he heard who it was, he put the cell on speaker phone and continued to get dressed. "What do you want, Doffy?"

' _Is that any way to greet your brother?'_ Doflamingo sounded amused by the curt greeting he’d received.

"Maybe it is because I found out from another officer last night that one of your men interfered with a sting operation?" Rocinante pulled his sweater on and carefully leaned over to root around for his shoes underneath his bed.

" _I don't know what you're talking about._ ' Doflamingo's tone made it clear, however, that he found the very idea entertaining.

"Of course you don't." Rocinante really hadn't expected his brother to admit to doing anything illegal, or for anyone working for him to be doing so either. Rocinante was a cop after all. "It must have been unintentional, then, setting fire to a police cruiser."

_'It must have been.'_ Doflamingo's agreed in a mock serious way, before his voice immediately became light and teasing. _'I heard something interesting, by the way.'_

"Oh? That maybe you actually listened to my message about how you should stop calling me at my work phone number?" Rocinante could all but imagine the grin his brother likely now wore during his response.

' _Fufufufu. No, not that.'_ Doflamingo sounded sly now. _'I heard that_ someone _is going out with a doctor. A surgeon, in fact.’_

"And where would you have heard that?" Rocinante picked up his cell and took it off speaker phone as he exited his apartment after checking to make sure he had his wallet.

' _Are you going to introduce me to him?'_ Doflamingo asked curiously.

"Not likely. I don't think that he would be ready to deal with you." Rocinante immediately regretted speaking, and inwardly cursed his brother for tricking him into revealing information. This was why he preferred to speak to Doflamingo face to face.

' _Well you don't have to be around, I suppose.'_ Doflamingo's voice was heavily amused again. _'Why, I think that's him sitting right over there. I think I'll go say...hello.'_

The phone went dead.

Rocinante stuffed his phone into his pocket and moved quickly. He really didn't want Law and Doflamingo to meet one another; he just had a very uneasy feeling over the very idea.

-x-

Law waited at the chosen café for the day, but tried to not outwardly show that he was impatient. Rocinante was late, and while the man did sometimes show up late, he would at least have sent him a text to let him know by now.

"Well, well, I guess I can see why my little brother likes you." A deeper voice rumbled in amusement.

Law narrowed his eyes at the figure that stopped near his chair and looked the newcomer over. The surgeon immediately could see that Rocinante had to be related to this man based off their similar height and blond hair, but the man was grinning at him like he'd found a very interesting new toy and Law did not like that at all. It was nothing like how Rocinante looked at him, and Law knew which he preferred. It also didn't help that this man's eyes were hidden by purple tinted shades.

The dark haired surgeon remembered what Rocinante had told him to do should he ever meet his brother, but Law found that his path of escape was blocked by the other man. Intentionally done or not, Law wasn’t sure, and he didn’t like that either.

Before anything could be said by either man, Rocinante appeared and none too discreetly placed himself between the pink feather jacket wearing blond and Law.

"What do you think you're doing, Doffy?" Rocinante’s voice was breathless as if he had run a great distance in a short amount of time.

That was right. Law recalled that Rocinante had mentioned that his brother's name was Doflamingo, and that he usually just called the older man Doffy. Law saw Doflamingo's smile sharpen, and couldn't help but think that he was glad that the blond haired officer had shown up when he had. Doflamingo made him decidedly uncomfortable, and Law wasn’t sure he could have just walked away without the other man preventing him from doing so before he had said his piece. At least, that was the impression that Law got anyway.

"I was just going to introduce myself, since you made it clear that you weren't going to." Doflamingo's grin, if possible, widened as he apparently noticed the fact that Rocinante looked a bit banged up. "Did you fall on your way over, Roci?"

"Doffy…" Rocinante was clearly not in the mood to play games.

"Okay, okay I'll go and leave you two alone." Doflamingo offered the surgeon another smile. "Maybe I'll see you again sometime, Trafalgar Law."

Law felt further discomforted by the fact that the man knew his name, as he was fairly certain that Rocinante wouldn't have told that man anything about him. Especially if he hadn’t seen him for years as he had stated before.

"Are you all right?" Rocinante queried in a concerned tone as he moved closer to Law. The blond reached out to rest a hand on the back of the surgeon’s chair to better look him over, as if to reassure himself that Doflamingo had done nothing but leer at the surgeon.

"Yes." Law waited until Doflamingo was out of sight before he turned to watch Rocinante head around the table to the chair across from him. The surgeon indicated a glass. "I ordered the drink you usually get."

"Thank you." Rocinante focused very hard on the chair as he began to sit down, desperately hoping to not fall over. The blond haired officer's mind, however, was still on his brother and what Doflamingo could possibly be scheming.

Law sipped his drink and smiled wryly at Rocinante as the man fell over, and in no time at all was being fussed over by some of the employees of the café.

Rocinante might have been embarrassed, but he was too happy to see Law smiling faintly at him to really be bothered by his clumsiness this time around. Rocinante was just relieved over the fact that Doflamingo had apparently done nothing more than make Law a little uncomfortable.


	8. Chapter 8

Law couldn't believe that he had been talked into going to the public pool that day. He really didn't. But the surgeon had grudgingly agreed to go there with his roommates, even though he had no desire to go swimming himself. And it was all because of that one time he had been all but swarmed by several eager females and one male in the locker room. Law had since then completely steered clear of public pools for his own safety.

Apparently Shachi and Penguin thought they would be enough of a buffer that day, but Law wasn't convinced that some unfortunate incident might befall him should he be separated from his roommates.

But as soon as Law entered the pool area with Shachi and Penguin and spotted a familiar blond, he knew, deep inside, that his roommates had to have been conspiring behind his back with Rocinante. Because the blond haired officer was right there in the pool and swimming along rather gracefully, which made Law incredibly amused that the man was more coordinated in water then on land.

"See something that you like?" Shachi was at Law's side with a grin.

The dark haired surgeon, his eyes still on Rocinante, absently shoved his roommate in the back and sent him headfirst into the pool.

"I would take that as a yes." Shachi said as he surfaced and splashed some water Law's direction. "Are you going to change? I think your boyfriend would like to see you in your swimming trunks." Shachi swam a bit further out as Law made as if to throw something at him.

-x-

Penguin was about to say something when he realized that Law was no longer paying attention to the red head in the water or himself. Instead, Penguin saw that Law's eyes were back on Rocinante as he swam back and forth. Penguin made eye contact with the blond one of the times he passed by, and gave a little nod.

Rocinante merely smiled faintly in return as he continued to swim.

Penguin turned back to watch his landlord/friend, and noticed that Law was most definitely distracted by the sight. He was usually better at hiding interest than he was right now. In fact, Penguin felt that Law watched with an almost hungry look on his face from the edge of the pool, his golden eyes fixed on the blond's progress. It was as if Law wanted to jump into the water and join Rocinante, regardless of being fully clothed. Whether to swim with or tackle the blond, Penguin wasn’t entirely sure. He still wasn’t over the fact that Law had such a look in his eyes when before the surgeon had been adamantly against being in a…romantic relationship.

Which Penguin and Shachi had figured was what was happening between Rocinante and Law, if the blond’s very real pleasure of being in Law’s company and sneaking in kisses when he thought he wasn’t being watched was anything to go by.

Penguin saw Law about to make some decision, when Rocinante decided to come out of the pool. Penguin watched, with some amusement, at the change in his friend’s expression when the surgeon saw that Rocinante was clad only in swimming trunks. And added to that, sopping wet as the blond reached out for a towel as the other hand absently shook water free from his hair. Penguin heard Law make a funny noise in the back of his throat before the surgeon retreated back into the locker room. Law wore an expression like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have been, and didn’t once look back.

"Don't stress him out too much." Penguin commented as Rocinante walked by him. “He did five operations in the middle of the night and hasn’t had much sleep as a result.” Which was a bit of an understatement. Law had been wired well into the early morning hours with nervous energy and had perhaps only gotten a total of two or three hours of sleep.

"I won't stress him out. I’ll try to help him relax instead." Was the murmured response as Rocinante headed in the direction of the locker room with a smile on his face.

-x-

Law wondered if he would be able to meet Rocinante outside the building and pretend that he hadn't be staring so hard at the blond haired officer as he had been as he had swum back and forth in the pool. Law had seen the blond's body and the fact that he had quite a few scars here and there. The surgeon wondered if they were from work, or if they were from him being clumsy; a few of the scars had seemed like they had been deep wounds to begin with. Law paused on his way past the showers for a second time on the way to the entrance of the building. The surgeon turned his head this way and that. He could have sworn he had heard Rocinante humming something.

"Cora?" Law asked after a moment, straining to see if he could hear the blond and figure out where he was.

"Over here, Law." The blond haired officer’s words sounded to his right.

Law followed Rocinante's voice without realizing that it was in the direction of the showers until he caught sight of Rocinante sluicing off pool water beneath a shower head. Law hadn't thought there'd be one tall enough for Rocinante that he wouldn't have to stoop to use it. And then the surgeon noticed something.

"You should close the curtain when you're doing that." Law averted his gaze, though inwardly he wasn't sure what he would have done had Rocinante not still been wearing his swimming trunks.

"You're right." Rocinante said agreeably.

Law let out a gasp of surprise as one of Rocinante's arms reached out and hooked around his waist to drag him backward into the shower, the blond's other hand drawing the curtain shut.

Trapped.

The feeling made Law panic inwardly until he noticed that Rocinante was not holding onto him so tightly that he couldn’t get away if he really wanted to. The surgeon held still for a moment as the water from the shower fell down on him, before he remembered he was wearing clothing.

"Cora, you're going to get my clothing wet." Law fell silent over the halfhearted complaint when he realized that not only was he in the shower with Rocinante, but that he was pressed up against the blond haired man’s bare chest. Law froze in place when he became aware of Rocinante’s hands as they trailed lightly down along his back. Law tilted his head up, curious as to what the blond was up to. The surgeon had had Rocinante touch him before, like holding his hand or hugging him, but not like this. It was different and Law wasn’t sure what to make of it, other than it was getting his clothing soaked.

"Cora…" Law's words were muffled as Rocinante leaned over and kissed him beneath the steady cascade of the shower water. Law murmured something into the kiss but instead of shying away as he had before when the blond had tried something like this, the surgeon arced up against Rocinante instead. Especially when Law felt the blond haired man reach beneath his shirt during the kiss to trail his hands up the surgeon’s bare back gently. Law mumbled something helplessly into the other man's mouth as they kissed again, and felt a slight sensation of a tongue flick across his lips.

One of Rocinante's hands dipped down to Law's waist, where the fingertips dipped below the fabric to trail along skin. Law pressed up against the other man more closely as the blond’s other hand continued to run along his back soothingly.

"Law…" Rocinante murmured after he broke the kiss.

The surgeon wasn’t sure what to say to that so he merely wrapped his arms around the back of Rocinante’s neck and tugged his head to his shoulder. What he wanted the blond to do, he wasn’t sure, but he knew that he wanted to stay there for now and see what would happen.

Rocinante adjusted beneath the water, before his hand briefly left Law’s back to shut the shower off so he could better pay attention to Law. That accomplished, Rocinante pressed his face against Law’s shoulder and began to nose along the skin that he could reach before the blond began to kiss along the side of the surgeon’s neck with increasing urgency.

Law made some nonsense sound at the attention he was being given before he pushed Rocinante gently away from his shoulder so that he could reach up and wrap his arms back around Rocinante's neck. The surgeon then lifted himself up slightly on tiptoe to allow the blond better access to mouth along the side of his throat.

"Can I join in?" A voice interrupted them with an anxious yet quite obviously gleeful query.

Both Law and Rocinante froze as a shadow fell on the other side of the drawn curtain.

"Go away, Doffy." The blond haired officer didn’t sound happy about being interrupted by his brother of all people.

Law was jostled as Rocinante removed his hands from where he'd been teasing the other man's skin and wrapped his arms protectively around the surgeon's soaked back.

"Fufufu. You should be more discreet." With another laugh, Doflamingo departed.

Law was self-conscious and embarrassed by now about how he had reacted to Rocinante's touch while the blond haired officer appeared to be mortified that his brother had happened to show up. Law felt that he had to leave, since he wasn't sure he was ready for any more of the blond's touch that day. But the surgeon felt that he had to let Rocinante know that he hadn't exactly been opposed to what they had been doing. Law turned around and leaned up to kiss Rocinante, and in a manner far more forward then before that it made the blond let go of him in surprise.

Law made his escape.

-x-

Rocinante was quite ecstatic that Law had kissed him the way he had but the blond was now left with a problem. Rocinante fidgeted with the state that the last kiss and the previous little make out with Law had left him in. Rocinante fled to the nearest bathroom stall, but the blond haired officer had done as he said he would. At least, he believed that Law wasn't as stressed out or uncomfortable as he would have been than if he had actually noticed that he had left Rocinante with an erection.

It was embarrassing, being in that state of arousal, but not something that really bothered the blond since he did happen to like Law. But Rocinante figured the dark haired surgeon finding out just how much he had affected him was something that Law didn't appear to be quite ready to deal with yet.


	9. Chapter 9

Early one morning in the dead of winter was when Law received his first real scare via Rocinante's job. The dark haired surgeon knew that there were dangers, but Law never imagined that anyone would be able to overpower Rocinante, even though he'd only seen the man work a few times from a distance with support from other cops. Therefore, it seemed improbable that the officer would ever turn up hurt.

Law absently stared out of the window in his living room, sleep lost on him for the time being as it neared two in the morning. The was home alone, so he was not being encouraged to get some rest by his roommates. Just as Law was about to look away from the falling snow to try and find something productive to do, he spotted a crumpled form in the snow near the sidewalk of his home. Law did a double take. Funny, he hadn't noticed that before.

The surgeon studied the form on the ground absently, before a jolt of panic went through him as he realized that it was Rocinante. What the hell was that man doing lying out there in the cold? If the blond haired officer was going to be foolish and wander around without proper winter clothing he could have at least knocked on his door. Or Rocinante could have even called Law to let him know that he was outside.

What exactly was the other man doing out there?

Law hastily went to the coat closet near his front door and haphazardly tossed on a coat over his thin clothes. As Law unlocked the front door, he toed into some boots and hurried outside. The surgeon hadn’t even bothered to see if there was anyone around in the vicinity as he went straight to Rocinante's side. Immediately Law saw the reason why the man just lie there and had neither called nor knocked on the door to his house.

The blond haired officer was unconscious. That led the surgeon to wonder just how long he had been out there.

Worried at the lack of response from his approach, Law knelt next to Rocinante's head and gently began to feel around for any sign of obvious injury, and found none after a brief examination, so he tried to wake the man up. There was no indication of a concussion, at least not for the moment, so Law presumed for now that Rocinante had just passed out for whatever reason.

"Cora?” Law asked as he reached out to grip Rocinante’s shoulder.

No response.

Law tried again, and even shook the blond’s his shoulder gently, insistently, as he checked for a pulse. The surgeon wasn’t sure why he hadn’t done that before, and waited with bated breath as he held Rocinante’s wrist. There was a pulse, even if it was a little slower than Law would have liked to find. Emboldened by the fact that Rocinante was breathing, Law tried harder to wake the other man up.

" _Cora_." Law had reached out to pat the blond’s cheek. Relief flooded through Law as Rocinante stirred.

The blond haired officer slowly opened his eyes as he tilted his head woozily toward Law. As soon as Rocinante appeared to realize who it was that was with him he smiled, even if it was obvious that he was in some kind of pain.

"Hello, Law." Rocinante said after a moment of staring up at Law before the blond attempted to hide a grimace and failed. “You’re up late.”

"What happened?" Law felt that Rocinante must have been out of it to give him that charming smile and greeting as if he hadn't been passed out in the snow that had been steadily piling up on the ground around him. Law brushed snow out of the other man's hair absently as he gave an exasperated sigh. "And why the hell didn't you go to the hospital?"

“Can’t.” Rocinante shook his head faintly and rested heavily on the snowy ground as he let out an exhale as his eyes briefly closed. "They'd be expecting me to."

"Who?" Law started to check the rest of Rocinante's body for signs of injury. The surgeon felt Rocinante spread himself out on the snowy ground gingerly as if to make Law’s task easier. It made the surgeon focus harder because he felt that from Rocinante’s earlier behavior that he was wounded in some way. And Law was right when he came across some fresh blood that was seeping through Rocinante’s shirt around his lower abdomen.

"Some people I was trailing….found out who they were...who they might be working for." Rocinante mumbled, and flinched faintly as Law carefully felt around the wound, but would say no more.

The surgeon carefully ripped the torn clothing the rest of the way from where it appeared to have been slashed, and used it to hold pressure on what appeared to be a stab wound. If he hadn’t had a strong stomach it might have turned over at the slight jagged sight of the entry of the wound. It was due to the nature of the wound that Law knew that it hadn’t been something that would happen from the blond tripping and falling over.

He’d been attacked by someone with a knife of some kind. Law had seen it before in the hospital, even if some of the wounds had been smaller than what he now saw. It appeared as if someone had made an attempt to gut Rocinante.

At once Law began to wonder whether the wound would become infected or not, and if he had enough supplies on hand and antibiotics to treat Rocinante in his home. And not insist upon the hospital, as the blond appeared adamant against going.

"Hold this there, Cora." Law said after a moment, once he felt he had put enough pressure on the wound. As soon as one of Rociante’s hands lightly rested over his, Law carefully moved his hand away and watched as the blond settled his hand over the cloth to put pressure on the wound to try and get the bleeding to slow. “Try and hold steady. I would rather not have you bleed any more than you already have.” The dark haired surgeon could only hope that Rocinante didn’t need any blood; that was not something he happened to keep in his home.

Law carefully got the taller blond to rise to his feet and the two slowly made their way to the open front door. Law helped Rocinante inside, before he firmly locked the door, as if the blond haired officer had been followed.

"Over here, Cora." Law urged Rocinante in the direction of the bathroom in the master bedroom, as it was the cleanest room of the entire house. Law would know, as he cleaned it at least once or twice a week to his liking. The surgeon got Rocinante to settle on the side of the bathtub, and the blond miraculously managed to not fall over. Law noticed that Rocinante had started to shiver violently, as if the blond haired officer’s body had just realized how cold it had been outside. Law wondered again just how long Rocinante had been outside of his house and unconscious. It was obvious that he had lost some body heat just from how cold to the touch the other man was. But for now, Law was determined to see to the knife wound and any other wounds that Rocinante may have been dealt while he had been working.

As Law went about his work, he had no qualms at all when he stripped Rocinante out of his ruined shirt. It probably helped that the other man made no comment of the fact. Rocinante even attempted to help, but his shivering made it near impossible to be of much use. Law had even stripped off the pants as well to be sure that there were no wounds there, and because the snow had soaked through into the fabric. Rocinante had had to grab the tub to avoid toppling over backward as soon as he realized that Law would be divesting him of his pants.

Law didn't want Rocinante's wet skin to continue to chill the man, so the surgeon brought out a towel from a cupboard. The surgeon gently and methodically removed any moisture that he saw, and dimly realized that he had far too much fun ruffling Rocinante's hair in an attempt to dry it faster. Law tossed the towel aside as he turned to dig around for the med kit he kept beneath the sink, and in doing so, he missed the deliriously happy smile that Rocinante wore. Like the blond haired officer had liked that Law had done what he had.

And that Rocinante wouldn't mind in the least bit if Law happened to want to manhandle him like that more often, with or without a towel.

By the time Law turned back, Rocinante's expression had gone back to being faintly drawn from pain, and the man tried his best to hold still to allow Law to treat the nasty looking knife wound to his abdomen.

"I don't have any anesthesia on hand." Law said as he opened his kit and started to arrange the necessary items.

"I'll be fine. It wouldn't be the first time I went without it." Rociante said in reply as he watched the dark haired surgeon. The sharp pinprick of pain from Law's cleaning of the wound, coupled with the stitches that soon followed caused Rocinante to brace himself again on the tub's edge with both hands.

Throughout the treatment Law said nothing, mainly because he was focused on what he was doing. He had had to do some deeper stitches because of how deep the wound had been, but thankfully it hadn't hit any organs. Law was glad that he kept spare gloves and dissolvable stitches on hand in case of emergency. Even if those particular items had been a recent acquirement after Rocinante had somehow not only managed to set the stove on fire, but had cut his hand in the process. That incident had led Law to completely ban the blond haired officer from the kitchen for being a walking hazard.

Law bandaged the wound and a few scratches that he had found here and there before he heard Rocinante speak softly to him.

"Sorry…" The officer sounded as if he meant it.

"You were just doing your job. And I am a doctor, so be grateful that I'm willing to let slide the fact that you didn't go to the hospital." Law said as he disposed of used items and then neatly packaged the unused supplies back into the med kit.

“Thank you.” Rocinante smiled tiredly at Law when the surgeon returned from stowing the med kit where it had come from.

“Can you stand up?” Law asked as he stopped right in front of the blond.

Rocinante gave a barely noticeable nod and made no protest against the surgeon attempting to help urge him into an upright position. It was more difficult than it sound, since Rocinante was still uncoordinated from the pain and the cold. The officer nearly took both himself and Law down to the ground after just a few steps toward the bathroom door.

“You should lie down and warm up.” Since the danger had passed, Law suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that Rocinante didn't have much clothing on anymore and promptly averted his eyes as he steered the blond into his bedroom, and over to his bed. Rocinante appeared to notice the destination and spoke up, sounding faintly embarrassed.

"It’s all right, I can sleep on the couch out in the living room. You don't have to-"

"Lie down." Law said firmly with a brief glance out of the corner of his eye at the blond.

Rocinante did so without so much as a whisper of any more protest.

Law ran a critical eye over the other man and saw that Rocinante's body still shook from being outside for so long. The surgeon retrieved a few blankets from his closet and dumped them over Rocinante to help try and warm him up. Law watched as the blond's eyes went half-mast and the tremors began to become fewer.

"I'll be right back." Law said, even though Rocinante had appeared to have slipped off into a light doze beneath the blankets. Law left the room and returned with something warm for Rocinante to drink, if he wanted it. The painkiller he'd brought would be for him after Law determined that it had been fatigue and being in the cold that had caused Rocinante to pass out in the snow, and not because of a concussion.

"Law…" Rocinante said quietly as he peeked up at Law from beneath the blankets. “I could just go home, you don’t have to-”

"You are not going anywhere with that wound. You could pass back out on your way home and I wouldn’t know it.” Law fixed the blond with a look, his instincts as a surgeon taking over. “Just rest. You need to let your body warm up. I’ve seen what can happen if one doesn’t allow the body to get to its normal temperature." Law cast a look down Rocinante's way as a little frown crossed his lips. "Just how long were you outside anyway?" The dark haired surgeon wanted to know if he needed to be concerned about frostbite or not.

"…since nine-thirty at night. I was trailing some suspects on my own from earlier in the day. I was caught off guard." Rocinante broke off as a violent tremor shook his body. When it passed the blond continued after he had let out a long, drawn out sigh. "I should've stayed in the office and did paperwork today."

"Will those people come after you?" Law felt that perhaps he should check the blond’s hands and feet after all, just to be sure, when the surgeon felt a chill himself as Rocinante's eyes were briefly free of pain and momentarily cold as he thought back on the encounter.

"…I am doubtful of it. I couldn't let them go back to whoever they worked for. It would have ruined my undercover image."

"You didn't kill them, did you?" Law doubted it, but wasn’t entirely sure based off of the other man’s expression.

"No, but they won't be running off to whoever their boss was any time soon." Rocinante said as he merely looked weary again.

"Then you won't have to worry, right?" Law asked as he moved a comforter over all the blankets. “And by the way, can you feel all of your fingers and toes?”

“I do not feel as if I have frostbite. I was wearing insulated boots and had gloves on.” Rocinante cast a half smile in Law’s direction. “Or didn’t you notice that?”

“I did not.” Law admitted, but shifted the blankets aside anyway to take a look for himself.

Rocinante had fallen silent, and as soon as Law determined that there were no signs of frostbite, the surgeon noticed that the other man was still cold after the pile of blankets as well as the comforter.

Law unabashedly took off his shirt and kicked his boots off so that he only wore his pants. He supposed that another person’s body heat would help with warming the blond up faster.

"Law?" Rocinante, no matter how terrible he felt, couldn't help but pay attention to the sudden action. With a mixture of confusion and pleasure, Rocinante moved over as he figured out Law's intentions.

The surgeon didn't say anything as he crawled underneath the blankets to share his body heat and curled up right beside Rocinante. Law didn't even think about how this was the first time he'd been skin to skin with Rocinante. The only other time he’d been so close was when he’d been clothed in that pool shower that Rocinante had all but dragged him in to. And right now, all Law could think about was how he wanted Rocinante to warm up so that he could concentrate more on allowing his wound to heal.

Rocinante still shivered occasionally over the next several minutes. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something before he appeared to give in and snuggle closer to Law. Rocinante lightly kissed Law on the forehead as he carefully draped an arm over the dark haired man's waist. The blond mumbled something quietly against the top of the surgeon's head.

Law tucked his head beneath the blond haired man's chin and closed his eyes. He hoped that Rocinante wouldn’t put himself in danger like that again. The dark haired surgeon wasn't sure what he would do if the blond haired offcier had been hurt more than he had been. When Law was sure that the blond had fallen asleep, he pressed a little closer to rest an arm over Rocinante’s waist.

-x-

The next morning, Law awoke to a beaming Rocinante. The blond haired man was clearly beside himself with happiness that he'd woken next to Law that Rocinante wasted no time in hugging the other man to him, heedless of his wound.

"Cora, be careful. You'll rip your-"

Rocinante bent forward and kissed Law as he all but smothered the man in his elation as he kissed him everywhere and anywhere he could reach. Which meant the dark haired surgeon's face and neck got the most of those kisses. Rocinante was all smiles when he realized that Law had a sensitive spot just between his jaw and ear and mischievously kissed that place over and over until Law had enough coordination to hug his head to his chest. Rocinante merely shifted so that he could get closer as he used an arm to trail along Law's bare back.

"Cora!" Law's voice was shaky, like he was trying very hard to catch his breath.

"Yes?" Rocinante craned his head, sneakily able to reach that spot again and it caused Law to let go of him after several kisses in a row. “Someone has a sensitive spot.” The blond teased as he got another kiss in.

Law said nothing, but he did duck his head beneath Rocinante's chin to avoid more of those dastardly kisses that were doing interesting things to him. The blond haired man was far too awake for him in any case, but the surgeon could tell that Rocinante's body temperature was just about back to normal because it felt like a furnace beneath the sheets and blankets. Law felt the blond haired man begin to trail a hand lightly along his back again, before Rocinante spoke softly, his voice tinged with happiness.

"I love you, Law."

Law was sure that he had blushed at the confession, but he stayed where he was to lightly doze, as it appeared as though Rocinante was content to stay there and share his body heat with him. The dark haired man wasn't sure that he would have been able to leave the bed with how tightly Rocinante held on to him anyway. And the surgeon certainly had no desire to leave now, especially when he was distracted by Rocinante's lips between neck and shoulder.

Most unfortunately, their leisurely cuddling and kissing was interrupted by Shachi coming into the room unannounced.

"Oh, sorry, thought you were going to be up. I didn't know you were having company over." The red head grinned as soon as he realized what he had walked in to.

Rocinante saved Shachi from Law's indignation by hanging onto the surgeon snugly as the red head retreated, and further distracted Law by engaging him in a kiss.

Law appeared to be in the mood; he certainly responded more to Rocinante’s touch, anyway, and more so than he had in the pool showers. At least until Rocinante attempted to see what would happen if he tried to remove his pants.

Rocinante was left all alone in the room as Law made his escape, face heated as he made a muttered excuse to be somewhere else. Rocinante didn't mind as he settled back on the bed, heedful of the bandages wrapped around his abdomen this time around. He had just noticed that Law wasn't entirely indifferent to the attention that he had been giving him and had decided to test the waters. But even if Law's body told Rocinante one thing, it was obvious that the dark haired man's mind thought otherwise.

"Why's he in your bed anyway, Law?" Shachi asked teasingly outside the bedroom. “Did you have a secret rendezvous last night while Penguin and I were gone?”

Rocinante flushed as he realized that he was indeed in Law's bed and with a little embarrassment cuddled the blankets against his chest because they were Law's. Law's. The surgeon's. His...could Rocinante call Law his boyfriend? They were going out now, so that would be fine, wouldn't it? Rocinante hugged the blankets more tightly as he let his fingertips trail along in thought. Or would that bother Law if he called him that?

"Cora, don't molest my blankets." Law’s voice was deadpan even if there was a faint hint of amusement beneath it.

Rocinante was further embarrassed at the fact that the dark haired surgeon had caught him cuddling with the blankets. The blond haired man eyed Law for a moment before he smiled happily, which prompted the surgeon to speak again.

"What're you thinking about now?"

"You." Rocinante loved that he'd gotten Law to blush even more than he had been before with that simple admission.


	10. Chapter 10

Law had had no idea that Rocinante could become so emotionally overwhelmed that he would break down into tears and cling to him from something as simple as Law returning affection without being prompted. Law should have had that in mind when he'd offered to go to a movie with the blond haired officer when they both had free time, and there wasn’t a chance that Rocinante would be called out for work.

Rocinante had gladly accepted the offer when the question was put to him, likely because he would get to spend more time with Law.

It had been a mistake, going to the movie, because it became clear that another thing that caused the blond haired man to cry was, apparently, sappy romantic movies.

Law was grim faced throughout the entire movie as Rocinante latched himself to one of his arms in the darkened movie theater and sobbed the last half hour of the movie. Rocinante had even ended up burying his face against the crook of Law's neck as he cried his eyes out over the fictional romance that had gone bad on the screen and how the characters weren't going to live happily ever after.

"Cora..." The surgeon muttered when he realized that people were giving the two of them funny looks. Law felt Rocinante merely rest his head heavily against him with a sniff. The surgeon avoided the other moviegoers gazes as he stared up at the ceiling of the theater and patted Rocinante consolingly on the knee.

Discreetly, of course.

By the time the credits were rolling, Rocinante had more or less gotten control of himself, even if he was sniffling and over to the edge of his seat to be as close to Law as he could get. At the very least the blond appeared to be slightly abashed when Law gave him a highly annoyed look and spoke.

"We are not coming here again. Ever."

Rocinante, of course, had taken it the wrong way entirely, mostly due to the surgeon's tone, and Law had spent the rest of the evening reassuring Rocinante that no, he wasn't breaking up with him over a movie, and no, he still wasn't changing his mind about going to another movie in the theaters with him in the foreseeable future. Not if the blond was going to insist on romance movies which appeared to have been the trigger for the crying.

Rocinante had appeared to be crushed.

Law, after he’d seen the look but no protest from the blond, had compromised by offering to watch movies in his own home. He had a room that was a small theater in the basement anyway, that Shachi and Penguin only used on occasion. Otherwise the surround sound and decent sized TV were not used very often.

Rocinante had brightened considerably at the offer to be in Law's home more often and had dropped the issue entirely as he cheerfully agreed to the alternative.

Law was suspicious for a time whether that had been the man's plan all along, but didn't doubt that the other man could be incredibly emotional over pretty much anything if the fancy struck him the right way.

Even if he was exasperated at times, the surgeon was secretly pleased that the longer he was with Rocinante, the more he found out about the other man.

-x-

It had been decided that every other Saturday evening would be movie night, so long as both Rocinante and Law's schedules allowed it. And they had the house to themselves, as Shachi and Penguin always seemed to find some way to be out of the house when Rocinante came over. Even if Shachi teased them on occasion with some version of the same phrase.

"Don't go too wild while we're gone."

Law would promptly shoo his roommate away while Rocinante would laugh before cheering the dark haired surgeon up with a light kiss to his nearest body part, which usually happened to be the hand or cheek.

That particular night, Rocinante and Law shared the couch directly in the center of all the surround sound equipment. They were watching some sappy romance that already had Rocinante cuddling closer and closer to the dark haired surgeon without regards to personal space. Not that Law minded. So far, about the only person he liked getting so close to him was the blond haired officer, so Law didn't mind in the least bit when Rocinante rested his head on his shoulder, one arm wrapped loosely around his back.

"You feel tense." The long fingers trailed along Law's shoulder in question.

"I'm fine." Law shivered slightly as Rocinante's breath tickled the side of his neck, and squirmed when the blond kissed the sensitive spot between jaw and ear that he'd discovered weeks ago.

"Are you sure?" Rocinante made it clear that he was doubtful.

"Mm, yes, it’s fine. It's nothing." It was, actually, and Law really wanted to tell Rocinante about all of the stress that had piled up on him over the course of the day before he'd arrived home. However, upon Rocinante greeting him outside of his home with a friendly hug and an inquisitive and rather thorough kiss, Law decided that the blond haired officer was in such a good mood that he didn't want to ruin it. But Law should have known better than to think that he could hide it from Rocinante, who had said nothing and merely stared at him from out of the corner of his eye.

It was a knowing look.

"I'm fine, Cora." Law mumbled again as he absently lifted a hand to ruffle it through Rocinante's hair. He stilled when Rocinante grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it. Law shifted until he was upright against the back of the couch as Rocinante nosed his way up his arm and then to the side of this throat until he reached his lips. Law felt himself being pulled forward as soon as the kiss broke. "What are you doing?"

Rocinante merely had Law turn around, and by now the dark haired man was utterly confused, at least until he was shoved face down onto the couch without so much as a warning. Well, it had been done as gently as possible, but with the intention of letting him know that Rocinante didn't believe him. Law's mind screeched to a halt by the fact that Rocinante had settled over him soon after, his legs on either side of Law's thighs. Presumably to prevent him from slinking off. That sent Law into an internal panic because he was pretty sure that there was only one reason Rocinante would put him in this particular position and Law really didn't think he was ready for that yet. Sometime perhaps, but certainly not so fast.

"Are you all right, Law?" Rocinante's voice questioned, as if he'd picked up on Law's thoughts. "You're still rather tense."

Law should have known better to think that Rocinante would do anything of a sexual nature without asking if it was all right first. Kisses were different, and Law liked the kisses no matter when Rocinante wanted to do them. The only place Law was uncomfortable with being kissed was when the two of them happened to be in a crowded public place where people could potentially see them.

"Stressful day at work?" The blond haired officer asked.

Law was going to deny it because Rocinante still sounded in a good mood. The surgeon let out a little hiss as the blond haired man's fingers suddenly dug into his back and a dull crick was heard.

"I guess it was. Your muscles are really stiff. How can you sleep at night like this?" Rocinante asked as his fingers lightly ran over the spot.

Law would have made some intelligent response but Rocinante's fingers digging into and at taut muscle ended up making the surgeon settle into the couch cushion with a faint note of pleasure as he went limp. At this point he'd even forgotten that there was a movie playing in the background as he focused entirely on Rocinante working out the kinks and knots in his back and then his neck, where Law made a soft sound that was nearly a moan as Rocinante found a particularly sore spot to work on for a time. Law would let slip the fact that Rocinante had leaned over and kissed the side of his neck as his fingers went back to the surgeon's shoulders.

The massage went on for a better part of the movie before Rocinante finished and pulled Law up and off the couch. Law clung to his arms, not sure what the other man was up to until Rocinante twisted and flopped back down onto the couch to hold Law to his chest as he beamed at him.

"Better?" The blond’s voice sounded pleased as if he already knew the answer.

Law was too sated by the massage to do much more than mumble something in return and rest his head beneath Rocinante's chin.

"I guess that's a yes." From the way the blond's arms were snug around the surgeon's back, Rocinante appeared more than happy to spend the rest of the night cuddling if that was what Law wanted to do.

Both Rocinante and Law dozed off toward the end of the movie, although their rest was interrupted by Penguin and Shachi's return hours later, accompanied by the latter's loud whisper-yell into the movie room.

"Hey you two, get a room."


	11. Chapter 11

The sky was a dark gray. It hadn't been like that earlier in the day. Nature was obviously conspiring against him for the change in the weather to be so abrupt. It was almost as if the weather itself had sensed that Law was in a fairly decent mood, and decided to open up overhead to ruin his relatively good day.

Law glared out of one of the hospital windows at the falling rain like it had personally offended him in some way. And in a way he felt that it had. The dark haired surgeon had not left his home with an umbrella or a jacket, because he hadn't bothered to watch the weather on the news that day after seeing that it was a perfectly cloud free morning.

A storm had rolled in that afternoon and with it a steady deluge, and it showed no sign of letting up as it drew to the end of Law's shift. Law wasn't about to ask anyone for a ride home, nor ask someone, such as Rocinante, to bring him an umbrella. But Law was not all that surprised when he walked out of the hospital at the end of his shift and down to the edge of the building's awning to find that Rocinante was waiting for him. The blond haired man was wearing his usual smile when he saw the surgeon. It was a happy and ecstatic smile, like he still couldn't believe that Law was with him.

"Law, over here!" Rocinante had raised a hand to wave at the surgeon as well if his words had not gotten his attention.

The dark haired surgeon appraised the other man skeptically for a moment, and had been ever since that short make out in the showers of the pool, and the confession the last winter. And that very, very nice massage he'd received on the couch a week ago. But as Law walked toward the blond haired officer, the surgeon's mind swirled around how improbable it was that he was now in a relationship that he hadn't ever envisioned himself to ever be in. It seemed almost too good to be true. There was no way that Rocinante could really be that happy to be with him. Could he? But as soon as Law saw that happy smile brighten further at his approach, the surgeon gave in and dismissed his doubts. Rocinante was a very honest individual and Law had no reason to doubt the other man's obvious pleasure at seeing him. Law joined Rocinante underneath his overly large umbrella and spoke wryly.

"I take it that you want to walk home with me today?" Law leaned up on his toes to meet Rocinante for a very brief kiss, before he backed off lest anyone catch sight of them.

"Yes. I figured that you wouldn't have been prepared for the weather." Rocinante couldn't resist getting a little closer to Law beneath the umbrella. "You have other things on your mind most of the time to remember the little things."

Law figured that Rocinante meant his job, and the blond haired officer wasn't wrong. The two started to walk through the down pour, and only had temporary relief once they reached the train, although Law's attention was drawn to a newspaper that one of the passengers was reading. The surgeon shook his head in disgust.

"It looks like the police have arrested someone for malpractice. I hope it isn't someone from the hospital I work at." Law tried to get a better look at the headline, but the man reading the paper got off on the next stop. Law leaned back in his seat with a blank look, thinking hard about whether he'd heard something of that nature or not.

"Are you all right?" Rocinante asked as he discreetly curled one of his hands around Law's and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"...yes, it just makes me uneasy to think of the possibility that I might have worked with this person." Law eventually dismissed the headline altogether, and turned his attention to Rocinante. "Why did you come to meet me anyway? I thought you had to work today?"

"I finished my work for the day. I saw that it was raining and I told you before that I felt you wouldn't be prepared for a storm." Rocinante trailed his thumb lightly along Law's hand. "I didn't want you to catch a cold if you walked home in the rain and got soaked."

"I would have figured something out." Law reluctantly let go of Rocinante's hand as they reached their stop, and in no time at all they were back out in the rain and the howling wind. It had picked up so much that the wind managed to blow into Rocinante's umbrella with enough force that it broke it. Law aimed a dour look Rocinante's way but it softened after the other man gave him a look of embarrassment and then grimaced at the dead umbrella. And then the blond took his coat off and dumped it over Law's head.

"You don't want to catch a chill, do you?" With a smile, Rocinante turned and started to walk again.

Law used both of his hands to cling to the coat over his head as he realized that it smelled of stale smoke. Had Rocinante smoked on the way there? With a little shake of his head, Law followed along after Rocinante as the other man appeared to enjoy the remainder of the walk to the surgeon's house in the rain as it soaked him completely. Law couldn't help but smile faintly the rest of the way home at the carefree mood the other man was in.

"You're the one that's going to catch a chill, Cora." Law stated once they reached the front door of his house.

"I'll be okay." Rocinante said with a smile. The blond haired officer hadn't realized at the time that he was very wrong on that count.

-x-

_'No more walking in the rain when the weather is still so cold, Cora.'_

"I'll be just fine after I get some rest." Rocinante said softly, even as he stifled an incriminating cough. Law obviously heard it as his voice became serious.

_'Stay home. You're more liable to get yourself into an accident with a cold of all things.'_

"I'm not that bad off." Rocinante said, a little defensively.

_'You tripped out of my house on your way home last night. And you sneezed at the same exact moment and nearly fell into the street into oncoming traffic.'_

"I didn't get very far." Rocinante could all but see the smirk on Law's face as the other man responded in a final kind of tone.

_'That doesn't mean it didn't still happen. Get some sleep, Cora.'_ Law's voice softened before it became teasing. _'I'll call you later. Maybe I'll even come over to give you a...check-up.'_

Rocinante gaped at the cell phone in his hand, before he held it tightly to his ear as he responded in a warm, if a little raspy, sounding voice. "Are you flirting with a sick man, Law?"

_'Maybe.'_ Law was definitely feeling smug for some reason. _'It's so much easier when I don't have your hands or eyes on me as a distraction.'_ The surgeon's tone became faintly mortified. _'I have to go now. I hear someone calling for me.'_

"Mmhm, make sure you call me later, _doctor._ I want your opinion on my recovery." Rocinante smiled as Law abruptly ended the call. Teasing the surgeon was fun. And Rocinante already felt a good deal better over the fact that Law had flirted with him. A little. The surgeon had sounded like he'd quite enjoyed teasing him as the blond had him.

Rocinante sneezed and ducked further beneath his sheets from where he was curled up on his bed in his apartment. Perhaps Law was right. He probably shouldn't have walked so long outside in the rain yesterday. And to add to that general misery, his cell phone had begun to ring again. Rocinante doubted that it was Law already, and came to the conclusion that perhaps it was someone from work. Not that he felt well enough to go in unless it was an emergency. Rocinante finally reached out with one long arm from beneath the blankets to answer the still ringing cell phone. The blond haired officer immediately wished that he hadn't picked up the call, because it was Doflamingo.

' _Staying home from work, Roci?'_

Rocinante mumbled something under his breath as he sighed. "And what would you know about that?" The officer couldn't help but cough.

' _Ah, caught a cold, did you? Did you stand in the rain a long time waiting for your little brat to finish work yesterday?'_

"…don't call Law that, Doffy. And what do you want?" Rocinante wasn't feeling his best, and that wasn't a particularly good thing while dealing with Doflamingo.

' _Ah yes, I just wanted to warn you that you might encounter some problems with_ Law _if he catches wind of what appears on the news later today.'_ Doflamingo appeared to be amused; not that he wasn't usually for some reason or another.

"What are you talking about?" Rocinante didn't like the sound of something causing Law any distress, though he wasn't sure why that would make it a problem for him.

' _Why, he might have even seen it by now.'_

"Must you be so vague?" Rocinante found his brother trying even at the best of times, which were actually fewer than he would have liked. Doflamingo was such a confusing man that even his own brother had a hard time figuring out what went on in that twisted mind of his.

_'Oh, and Roci? Be careful where you tread after Law has seen the news.'_

"Doffy..." Rocinante wasn't in the mood for his brother's mind games.

_"...just keep in mind that there are some truths that you don't necessarily want to learn, little brother._ _You wouldn't want something to happen between the two of you, would you?'_ With that cryptic message, Doflamingo hung up.

Rocinante went back to bed, too tired to deal with his brother's riddles. At least until he received a call from Law hours later in the evening. It was obvious that the dark haired man had seen whatever it was that Doflamingo had alluded to earlier in the day. The surgeon was also upset and wanted to see Rocinante.

_'The doctor that treated my sister and some other patients was arrested today for giving patients unauthorized treatments that led to their deaths. And they said it's been ongoing even before my sister was hospitalized.'_ Law's voice was taut, like he was trying very hard to keep himself under control. _'It was the same piece of news in the newspaper article yesterday. The one that the man on the train was reading that mentioned malpractice.'_

"Law, where are you?" Rocinante felt that this was something that would be best to speak with the surgeon in person about.

_'At work.'_

"I'm going to head over there."

_'But you're sick.'_

"This is more important. Can we meet in the lobby to talk? I don't want you to go raid the police station or the hospital for answers." Rocinante was already out of bed, even if he moved a little more slowly to be absolutely certain that he wouldn't fall over.

_'...yes. There's an empty conference room.'_ Law's voice was almost subdued, as if the news had brought back something painful to mind that he very much wanted to avoid.

"I'll be there soon." Rocinante promised before he ended the call. What he really wanted to do was wrap Law in a hug to reassure him that all would be well, but after finding out that kind of news, the blond doubted that a hug would be enough to help lessen the blow of finding out a sibling's death might have been prevented.

Rocinante left his house as soon as he could because it sounded like Law wanted to do something rash. At the very least Rocinante's sick feeling from staying in the rain too long had been replaced by nervousness and trepidation as he recalled his brother's call earlier in the day.

How could Doflamingo have known that the news would upset Law?

-x-

Law caught himself pacing impatiently in the lobby of the hospital, and forced himself to stand still, eyes on the front doors as he awaited Rocinante's arrival. The dark haired surgeon felt almost guilty that he had made Rocinante leave his home to come and help him, but Law believed that he had no one else to confide in. After all, he had shared his past with only a few people, and even his own roommates didn't know every detail.

"Oh, my gosh, did you see that?"

"His shoulder caught fire from his cigarette and he fell over!"

"Do you think he's all right?"

Law heard the chatter of the assistants that were passing by the front doors, and the surgeon instantly knew whom they were talking about. Law ran a hand over his face as he rubbed his forehead and he sighed.

Only Rocinante would be so apt to do such a thing.

"Oh, he's up."

Law turned his attention back to the lobby doors and saw that the blond haired officer had entered the hospital, although he wore a sheepish expression like he usually did when his clumsiness got the best of him. Law pretended that he didn't feel a spark of jealousy for all of the women that were suddenly there, patient and hospital staff alike inquiring after Rocinante's health and scorched shoulder.

"I'm fine, no need to worry."

Law felt the jealousy again when Rocinante flashed a smile at the women, but it faded as soon as the blond lifted his head and met his eyes. Law shifted awkwardly in place as the smile brightened, and didn't quite know what he was doing standing there like an idiot as Rocinante came over to him.

"I saw that." Rocinante's voice was low so that only Law could hear his voice.

"Saw what?" The surgeon replied vaguely as he turned and began to walk. "The conference room is this way."

Rocinante laughed softly but he followed along after the surgeon without comment. He was apparently unsurprised that as soon as they were alone in the room, Law launched right into where they'd left off their earlier conversation on the phone.

"I need to know if there are any case files in the station about the doctor that treated my sister." Law was all business, and he was relieved that Rocinante let slide the fact that he had indeed been jealous of those women being so close to him. And the fact that Rocinante had smiled at them instead of him.

"I might be able to look at case files, though I'm not sure how useful they will be, if it's taken so long to catch this man." Rocinante sat on a chair nearest to Law, and scooted it around so that they were alongside one another.

"Anything would be useful." Law commented, not quite able to hold back a smile as Rocinante rested a hand on his knee. "I can check hospital records, especially my sister's, if I am able to get to them. I need some answers."

"I take it that you want me to get started as soon as I can?" Rocinante asked, stifling a cough.

"Yes." Law was silent as he rested his own hand over blond's. "I guess we could have come to that conclusion over the phone. You didn't have to come all the way out here."

"I wanted to come see you though." Rocinante smiled wearily. "I wanted to make sure that you didn't act rashly. Like immediately go raid the records without checking to make sure you're even able to." The blond haired man tilted his head at Law silently for a moment before he offered a tiny smile. "Maybe you should finish your shift and go home for the day. Your thoughts will probably be clearer in the morning. And I'll have had time to rest up if I happen to be somewhere peaceful to get some sleep. I can go information hunting tomorrow before I have you breathing down my neck for that information."

"I guess..." Law let out a slow sigh, before offering a smirk. "Is that your backhanded way of asking to go home with me?"

"You caught me." Rocinante leaned over as he brought the back of Law's hand to his lips to place a feather light kiss there. "May I?"

"You don't have to ask all the time." Law shifted in his chair, his gaze darting to the door. It was as if the surgeon expected a cascade of his co-workers to enter to see Rocinante all but making love to his hand with all of the kisses he was placing on the limb. Law finally couldn't take it anymore and with a smile, shooed Rocinante away from his hand. "Stop that, what someone sees us?"

"But I want people to know that you're with me." Rocinante said as he braced his hands on either side of Law's chair and brushed a kiss against the surgeon's cheek, before he smiled knowingly and changed the topic. "You were jealous before when those women were around me, weren't you?"

"Cora..." Law didn't seem to know what to say, so he merely fended Rocinante out of his personal space so that he could get up and head for the door. "My shift is over, by the way, so let's go." The surgeon hesitated, before he whispered an answer to the other man's previous question, "And maybe just a little bit." Law nearly let an outraged yelp when Rocinante was suddenly there and squeezing him in a tight hug.

"Law! So you _were_ jealous. That's so cute!" Rocinante gushed over the dark haired surgeon, even if he still had the presence of mind not to crush Law with his sudden rush of affection. "I love that you want me all to yourself!"

"I said no such thing!" Law's voice was bordering on horrified, even if he didn't sound like he really meant it.

The only sound that could be heard for the next few minutes was Rocinante enthusiastically kissing Law while the surgeon attempted to fend him off lest someone walk in on them.

-x-

After an enjoyable evening at Law's home, including a dinner and some gossiping with Shachi and Penguin over some mindless news around the city, Rocinante felt well enough the next day to go do as Law had requested.

Look into old case files the might be linked to the doctor that had been arrested two days previously.

But what the blond haired officer found was one of many things that indicated that the happiness he had been in was on a crash course to being completely and utterly shredded to pieces after he had figured out a connection between all of the files he'd been reading up on.

-x-

Rocinante poured over several files strewn over the desk, and came to the same conclusion he had come to before.

His brother had been involved in all of this somehow, even if there was no mention of his name in the documents themselves. His brother was funny like that. Doflamingo was able to fly under the radar and keep his hands clean flawlessly. Rocinante answered his phone as he turned away from the report on Law's sister and picked up another one. At least until he heard the voice speaking on the other end of the line.

It was interesting that Rocinante had talked to him so much lately after two years of nearly no contact at all.

_'You know, Roci, I thought I told you that you wouldn't want to look into things too closely.'_

"Then you _do_ know something about that doctor that was arrested?" Rocinante frowned when Doflamingo laughed.

_'Fufufufu. I didn't say anything of the sort.'_ Doflamingo let out an overly dramatic sigh. _'It's such a shame, though, and after you finally got him to agree to go out with you too.'_

"You had better stay away from Law, Doffy." Rocinante growled protectively.

_'It's not me that needs to stay away if he comes to the same conclusion that you do.'_

Rocinante glanced at the files before him and a sinking feeling took root. "Then you _were_ involved."

' _I don't know, little brother, but you should think about something else as well.'_ Doflamingo sounded as if he were carrying a very large bombshell.

"What?" Rocinante had a feeling he didn't want to know.

_'Why do you think that you had to rescue your brat for so long before he finally decided to get into contact with you? And then had no more dangerous situations after that fact?'_

"You..." Rocinante didn't even know what to say to that, but now he was piecing two and two together and felt like he'd been set up.

_'I thought I warned you two years ago that if the police stuck their noses into my business that things wouldn't be pleasant for you. Remember that? And now that I know that there's someone spying on my men, I think taking measures in advance was a good thing.'_

Rocinante said nothing.

_'I told you before when you went off to become a police officer that if I caught wind of you or anyone else trying to disrupt things for me that I would make your life miserable. And just as soon as I begin to hear of someone skulking about, you go and start dating that brat.'_ Doflamingo obviously knew the effect he was having on Rocinante. _'So I thought I'd let it go on a little while longer while I looked into things. And I have found a way to deal with my unwanted shadow snooping around my business. And I have also found a way to remind you that you'd do well to not let any of your...coworkers get in my way in the future.'_

Rocinante felt like he might get sick to his stomach.

' _I'll call you later Roci. Maybe you'll be a little more open to listening to a proposition of mine that we discussed those two years ago.'_

The line went dead, but Rocinante didn't care. He didn't even mind that he tripped on his way out of the door of his apartment in his haste to go to the hospital.

Law was looking up records about his sister in the hospital that he worked at.

He, Rocinante, had figured out that his brother likely had something to do with the doctor that had been arrested. Hell, Doflamingo had all but admitted it in his own weird way. And Law was smart. Very smart. He was likely to figure that out as well. Would that make Law...feel as if Rocinante had been covering for his brother regarding his sister? And what about the dangers that Law had been put into before the surgeon had agreed to go out with him? Would Law then think that...he was conspiring with Doflamingo, for whatever reason?

"Law..."

Rocinante raced out of the police station as quickly as he could. He had to get to Law before things went terribly wrong, and hoped that he wasn’t too late.


	12. Chapter 12

Law found out quite a lot more information than he had expected to, and the dark haired surgeon wasn't sure what to make of it or how to feel about it. It was almost as if someone had known exactly what he was going to go look for, and the information happened to be handy that he located it immediately. A single fact in particular stood out and it made Law very uneasy. The doctor that had been arrested had been working for Doflamingo. Even though there were no connections between the two, there were telltale signs provided indirectly by the documents themselves that pointed in that direction.

While Rocinante may not have wanted to talk about his brother much, Law had made sure to learn what he could. Because Law had not really liked Doflamingo all that much and figured that being ignorant of the man was likely a bad idea. And now that he had some information about Doflamingo, he was able to see, for whatever reason, what the police hadn’t. Doflamingo’s work with the doctor that had been arrested appeared blatantly obvious in the document. Which led Law to other, more important questions, and depending on those question’s answers, it could potentially damage the relationship that the surgeon had with a certain blond haired officer.

After another hour, Law couldn't stand to look through the information any longer. Not without getting wrapped up over the fact that Rocinante might possibly be involved with what Law had found and pieced together thus far. The surgeon put the documents back where he had found them and left the room, his mind swirling with different possible answers to his questions, each more absurd than the last.

Did Rocinante know more than he was letting on? Law had to wonder if he had been covering for his brother by looking into things as well. Perhaps to keep him from finding out certain information? Or the fact that Doflamingo was behind giving the doctor means to give patients experimental drugs? While on that train of thought, Law wondered if Rocinante had intended to 'go out' with him as a way to try and distract Law from the truth if something like this happened. The dark haired surgeon knew that it was doubtful that Rocinante was involved in any way, but what about the fact Law had been in danger until he had agreed to see Rocinante more often than the random encounters? Had those dangerous situations he'd been put through been purposefully done in order to get Law to agree to go out with Rocinante?

The doubt and the increasingly outlandish questions began to take root, festering and throwing Law down into a darker side of his mind that eventually had him near convinced that everything that Rocinante had said and done had been a lie. The tight feeling in his chest at the very thought was something that Law tried and failed to dismiss. By the time the surgeon left the hospital and drew closer to home, Law was angrier and far more upset than he knew what to do with. And to add to the turmoil he was in, Law caught sight of the blond haired officer as he approached him with a hesitant smile.

The fact that Rocinante was unsurprised by the fury he was met with made Law's doubts feel justified. Although the surgeon didn't think much at the time about the fact that the blond appeared to have run, as he was out of breath and sucking in great lungful's of air.

"You knew. You knew about my sister." Law's voice was hash and accusatory as he confronted Rocinante as soon as the man was within speaking distance. At the quick shake of the blond's head, Law continued. "Did you know? Did you know that your _brother_ had been the one behind the doctor that caused all of those patients’ deaths? My sister's death?" The surgeon watched impassively as Rocinante caught his breath and spoke, his voice oddly subdued.

"I only just pieced together the connection about an hour ago. I was coming here to-"

"How long were you planning on waiting before telling me that your brother was involved?" Law demanded as he cut Rocinante off mid-sentence. "What else are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything from you Law, that's-"

"Have you been lying to me this whole time, ever since we met that evening in the restaurant?" Law pressed, not giving Rocinante a chance to defend himself. "Or after I started to go out with you after you saved me from all of those dangers I was put in? Was that your doing too? Or did you get your brother to help you since he doesn't seem to have trouble interfering in people's lives, especially if he can pass drugs off to a doctor to test out on people that need medical treatment, not experiments."

"I've never lied to you. I never would have put you in that danger. I was only relieved that I happened to be around to help you." Rocinante said, his voice faint, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "And I never would have lied about us." The blond added after being given a dour look. But what he had been about to say was entirely lost to him as Law's next words left him reeling and in a state of shock.

"Is our relationship a farce as well?" Law felt a fleeting amount of guilt as an almost tortured look crossed Rocinante's face at his words. "Well? Did you lie when you told me...when you told me that you loved me?" Law could barely finish his sentence, because while he was in need of reassurance that things weren't as bad as he was making them out to be, the surgeon was not at all sure whether he would be able to receive that reassurance from Rocinante at this point in time.

"It's not like that at all, Law. I really do want to be with you. Have wanted to be with you." Rocinante's voice was full of hurt and disbelief. "Why would I lie about that? Why would I wait to say something like that and not mean it?" Rocinante took a breath as if centering himself. "I love you, Law. That's not a lie."

"I wish I could believe you." Law turned away. He need to leave. Now. He wanted to be alone. The dark haired surgeon didn't glance back as Rocinante choked out his name, the blond apparently alarmed that Law had started to walk away.

Away from _him_.

"Law, wait."

The surgeon moved more quickly along as soon as he heard the pain in the other man's voice. He couldn't handle this right now. Law needed to be somewhere quiet to sort things through. To come to terms with what he had learned, and what he was to do about them.

"Law, please don't go."

Law stopped walking, but not under his own power, and the reason became quickly apparent. Rocinante had just reached out and gripped his nearest arm. Law glared out of the corner of his eye at the blond, and briefly registered the desperation on the other man's face. The surgeon hesitated only a moment before he reached out with his free hand and slapped Rocinante's hand away as he rounded on him with a snarl. "I don't suppose you would tell me, if you knew whether or not my parent's deaths 14 years ago was an accident?" Law narrowed his eyes at the flustered blond. "Or did it have something to do with your brother fooling around and making deals with underground criminals when he was younger? It wouldn't surprise me in the least bit now if that was the case."

"I only just learned about his possible connection to that doctor and your sister's death today. I couldn't say for your parents.” The blond took a short breath. “You were the one who asked me to help you look into it yesterday." Rocinante sounded like he was on the verge of tears, as if Law slapping his hand away had been the trigger. "Remember?"

"Why haven't you done anything about your brother then? Why haven't you stopped him yet if you know that he's behind this in some manner?" Law pushed farther, unable to calm himself down and think rationally. Finding out that his sister could have been possibly saved had she been given the proper treatment had sent him far over the edge, and the only person that was nearest to him to vent his frustrations on was Rocinante. "Why haven't you arrested him?"

"I _can't_ arrest him. That's the problem. It is more complicated than that. Doffy covers his tracks far too well to leave evidence behind, and I'd need that to-"

"Stay away from me." Law said lowly, cutting the blond off again. The surgeon stepped back as Rocinante took a step forward. "I don't want to see you right now." The guilt was still there beneath all that Law felt, but the fury remained on the surface, blinding him to the fact that Rocinante was most certainly crying now. Law looked away. "You don't know what it's like to be alone."

Sorrow crossed Rocinante's face a moment before he himself became angry and unwittingly made Law leave him behind more quickly.

"I know it hasn't been brought up since we never really discussed it further, but my parents were lost to me when I was younger as well."

Law began to walk at a clipped pace, but he couldn't shut out Rocinante's strained, broken words that would have made him feel bad had he not been otherwise occupied with dark thoughts.

"So I do know what it's like to be alone. Please don't go, Law, I-"

"Don't. Don't say anything. Leave me be." Law knew what Rocinante had been going to say, and right now, the surgeon felt he might break down himself if he heard the blond confess his love for him again. Law closed his eyes briefly before he heard a sharp intake of air, followed by rapid footsteps. Law's eyes shot open, panic welling within him as he blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Don't touch me!" Law felt the hand that had grabbed his shoulder retreat, and breathed out his next words as he placed distance between himself and Rocinante. "Don't call me, and don't you dare go over to my house, or the hospital."

"But Law, there's nothing I can do right now without getting proof that my brother was involved." Rocinante wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was upset as his voice dropped into a broken whisper. "Please don't do this. Don't leave me."

The dark haired surgeon was silent.

"Law!"

"I'm done, Cora." Law snapped as he broke into a run before he gave in to the other man's pleas to stop. Because Law might have, especially if he had bothered to look back that instant and saw what state he'd left Rocinante in.

Alone, crying and heartbroken.

-x-

Law didn't stop running until he was outside of his house, and it was only then that he half turned around to see if Rocinante had followed after him.

There was no one there.

Law smiled bitterly. Rocinante hadn't followed him after all of that. It upset the dark haired man more than he thought it would. A tight feeling twisted his gut as he went into his home and closed the door behind him. Law said nothing to Shachi or Penguin's greeting as he went straight to his room and locked himself inside. The surgeon dwelled in his thoughts for a couple of hours as he refused dinner. But no matter what he thought of the information and everything that had mixed together in his mind, Law came to the conclusion that the blond haired man's absence meant that he didn't care for him after all.

And that Rocinante didn't love him as much as he had claimed to because he had not tried to stop him more than he had.

"Cora..." Law muttered as he turned onto his side on the bed and squeezed his eyes shut. He hadn't thought that Rocinante's absence would hurt him even more than the other man not following him home despite being told not to.

Law certainly hadn't expected the bout of depression that he would sink into as the days passed as he neither saw nor heard from the blond haired officer. And Law was damned if he didn't feel like a fool after weeks of silence, because that was exactly what he had asked for. And Rocinante, the kind hearted person that he was, had respected Law's decision, despite how obviously painful it was for him to do, when it was obvious that he had wanted to try and fix things. That the blond haired officer had wanted to attempt to set things right between them without breaking them apart.

It was only after the first week of not hearing anything from Rocinante that Law believed that he may have made a huge mistake.


	13. Chapter 13

He couldn't believe that things had turned out as they had. Rocinante couldn't believe that Law had just left him like that. It seemed too surreal to be true, but every day that he woke up since then, he would remember what had happened, and the rest of his day would never be a good one. Rocinante could barely bring himself to smile, and he would have to make an effort to make one at work.

Rocinante was miserable whenever he was alone with nothing to occupy his time that he normally spent with Law. To add to that misery, his brother wouldn't stop calling him, as if he knew what had happened and was trying to take advantage of Rocinante while his defenses were down. As in information gathering. Doflamingo had been trying to wheedle out the name of the undercover officer from Rocinante's unit that was spying on him. But even in his depressed state, Rocinante was no fool. As _he_ was that undercover officer, Rocinante had no desire to become just another one of his brother's targets. But it was tempting to give the info up sometimes, as soon as Doflamingo began to call him as much as ten times a day. Or even stalk him outside his apartment. The only relief Rocinante would get was to spend time at work where he had reason to be occupied. And try to figure out how he was to continue his undercover duties without Doflamingo catching him in a lie.

"Law..."

It didn't help that he couldn't get the dark haired surgeon out of his mind. He'd been so utterly demoralized at the vicious way that Law had spoken to him, even though Rocinante knew that the other man had likely been overwhelmed with what he had found. It still didn't change the genuine hurt that he had felt when Law had suggested that their relationship was made up. That he didn't really love him.

Rocinante roughly ran a few fingers over his eyelids to chase the tears away before took a deep breath and let it out. Crying over what had already come to pass wasn't going to make things any better, and even though Law had told him not to call him or go see him, it didn't change the fact that Rocinante was going to try and make things right. He wasn't ready to lose Law completely. Already Rocinante was feeling worse than he had been before he had begun to have Law in his life, and the blond didn't want to go back to being alone at home and having only his coworkers to talk to.

He needed Law.

And in order to get him back, Rocinante felt that he had only one option that would most certainly get Law's attention.

His brother's arrest.

With that in mind at the possibility of Law forgiving him if he fixed at least some of the problems that had cropped up, Rocinante called Doflamingo back. The older blond was heavily amused that he hadn't had to call again, and Rocinante hoped desperately that the other man wouldn't figure out that he was up to something.

_'Are you ready to hear my proposition, Roci?'_

"...yes." Rocinante doubted that he was, but he was desperate and wanted nothing more than to mend things between himself and Law. Even if that meant playing a very dangerous game and taking his undercover work directly to Doflamingo's base operations. Wherever they might be. He was getting closer as the years passed, and it could become lethal should Rocinante slip up even the tiniest amount. For now, he would gamble on the fact that Doflamingo wanted his help.

_'Then come over to my house. We'll discuss things there.'_

Rocinante hung up the phone before he dug out his clothes that he used while undercover; he doubted that anyone in Doflamingo’s inner circle would recognize him as the undercover cop that had been spying on what must have been the grunts. It would have to do, and if nothing else, his appearance would highly amuse Doflamingo, and it would allow the blond haired officer to do what he had to do to get incriminating evidence about his brother. But Rocinante knew, even as he left his apartment, that if he let slip that he had been the one that had been spying on Doflamingo and his men, Rocinante knew that it was likely that no one would ever hear from him again.

But for Law, Rocinante was willing to take that chance.

-x-

Rocinante hadn't called him.

It really shouldn't have been much of a surprise by then, after those few months since Law had left the blond haired officer behind in a rage. It didn't change the fact that the dark haired man still wanted to see or even hear from Rocinante, but Law knew that he was fooling himself. After all, he had told Rocinante not to call him or otherwise bother him, and the man had listened to him. Rocinante always listened to everything he said and more often than not went along with Law's decisions.

This one time, Law would have liked for Rocinante to have done something else. Anything else than what he had done. But stay away the blond haired man did, because it was what Law had said that he had wanted at the time.

It had been a rash and foolish decision to cut Rocinante out of his life like that.

Law wanted to be alone, but he hadn't realized that the loneliness would overtake him so utterly and in a way that it had not before. It was a crushing kind of loneliness that even going out to eat with other people or talking to Shachi or Penguin did nothing to fill the void that he felt. The void where Rocinante was supposed to be.

Nearly three months had passed since the argument, and Law found out one morning that he regretted what he had done now more than ever.

He should have never lashed out as he had, even with the resentful feeling that Rocinante hadn't at least informed him immediately of any connections sooner than he had chosen to try and bring them up. It sure had seemed as if Rocinante had been withholding information, but the more Law thought about it, the more ridiculous it became. The blond haired officer had never lied to him unless he felt that it was in his best interest (such as the time he'd lied about not being involved in the arrest of several members of a group that attempted a heist at a bank). In fact, Rocinante never lied to Law when it really mattered, and he had accused him of such.

Law still remembered the complete and utter heartbreak on Rocinante's face when the surgeon had suggested that their relationship was a sham. That one statement had hurt the most, and Law regretted ever saying it more than the rest of it put together. Because it had shown him that it hadn't been faked, and the fact that Law had even said such a thing seemed to have crushed the other man's emotions in one fell swoop. Law barely reacted to a knock on his door, and turned away to face a blank wall as Penguin spoke through his locked door.

"Please at least remember that you have to go to work tomorrow, Law."

"I know, Penguin." Law tried hard not to sound sarcastic but failed, and heard his roommate move off. He hated that he was driving his housemates away from him as well, though mainly because he had been very sarcastic as of late to protect himself from giving in to his emotions and breaking down completely from what an idiot he'd been. And it didn't help that Shachi and Penguin would bring the blond haired officer up, because Law would immediately jump to being defensive and remove himself from the area. It was just too painful to think about the other man, especially when others were around and trying to get him to reach out to Rocinante.

Another unexpected side effect of Rocinante's absence was the dwindling amount of times that Law would actually go out to eat, as he was no longer regularly meeting with Rocinante several days out of the week to share mealtimes on their breaks. It meant that Law would forget to eat on occasion, and as a result, the surgeon knew that he had definitely lost some of the weight that he'd put on, and was certainly skinner than before because of his insistence of keeping an odd schedule and not eating consistently.

Law exhaled and got up off of his bed to scrounge around for some clothing to wear the following day. Penguin was right about making sure that he remembered his work. It was about the only thing that got him through the day where he could keep preoccupied and keep his mind off Rocinante.

Rocinante...

The gentle smile that the blond haired man would direct his way was still fresh in his mind, and Law wondered if he'd ever get to see it again. The dark haired surgeon squeezed a shirt he'd found over on a chair and took a deep breath before letting it out.

"Cora."

He had to stop thinking about Rocinante. It really was painful, and Law had to work regardless of his mental state. His patients depended on him to do the best job that he could. Law wouldn't allow his emotions to get in the way. They really were unnecessary, and if this was the state to which they reduced him to, Law didn't want them. He didn't want anyone in his life that could make his emotions go into turmoil like this. Law hadn't wanted to end up in a relationship of all things. But still...

Law hugged the shirt to his chest as he stared at nothing in particular. It didn't help. It wasn't any use unless he was at work. He couldn't stop thinking about Rocinante. Law closed his eyes as exhaustion swept over him on yet another day where he'd gotten barely any sleep.

"Cora..."

Law would go to the hospital the next day. He still had to work regardless of his body's condition. People were counting on him, and he couldn’t let them down because of his state of mind.

-x-

The next day Law was relieved, in a way, that there was nothing more for him to do then fill out paperwork. Paperwork was good. Mindless. Orderly. It made sense, and it allowed him to keep his mind off of other things. It was a good thing for the other people around him too. Paperwork was oddly soothing and it helped tone down the sarcastic, dry wit that he'd been aiming everyone's way lately like a heat seeking missile. But if he didn't know any better, Law could have sworn that people were going out of their way to give him more paperwork because it left him in a fairly decent mood if he went through a few hours of it a day. Even now, he was...

"Dr. Trafalgar!"

Law looked up from his paperwork, pen poised to sign something, when a nurse hurried into the room immediately after her frantic greeting. It was one of the nurses that worked with him most often, and Law should have known that something was wrong more than the nurse let on strictly based off of her voice. If Law had looked her in the eyes, he would have seen that it wasn't the patient she was as worried about as she was about how Law would react to them.

"Yes, Kaya?"

"There's a patient that needs to be operated on immediately. He's lost a lot of blood already. I have some of the assistants getting the IVs hooked up right now." Kaya looked as if she was going to say more but instead looked at Law imploringly. “I’d have asked someone else to take care of it, but-”

“I know. I’m the only surgeon on duty right now to deal with trauma. Lead the way.” Law instantly dropped what he was doing and rose gracefully from the chair to join Kaya at the door. "What are the main injuries?"

"Multiple bullet wounds for a start.” Kaya replied as she led the way out of the room. “There are a few serrated gashes that look as if they were caused by a knife or another, smaller blade. And there's a possibility of a concussion from a head wound." Kaya took a turn down the hall and then another.

Law walked faster. It sounded like he needed to get started as soon as possible.

"This way."

By the time Law and Kaya reached the room that had been set up, the dark haired surgeon felt that it had been a good thing that he had not inquired further of anything other than the patient's injures. Because if he had known in advance who exactly it was that he was going to be operating on, Law might not have been able to bring himself to do so without being frozen in place from pure shock. But now he knew exactly why Kaya had sounded so nervous about him preforming the operation.

The dark haired surgeon stopped dead in place in any case as he caught sight of the disturbingly still form on the table in the operating room, even as Kaya gently urged him to a corner to get ready. Law automatically got his scrubs on and had to try three times to get his gloves on, numb with disbelief. As he approached the operating table, the dark haired surgeon realized that the chatter around him was a low buzz. As Law automatically began to indicate which tools he would need from the room, a sick feeling began to settle into the pit of his stomach that most certainly hadn't been there before he'd entered the room. In a final kind of way, Law let his gaze drop back onto the still form again, and stared.

It was Rocinante.

"Cora..." Law's voice wavered, even though it was barely a whisper. He hadn't imagined who was lying so still on the operating table after all.

But why?

Why was Rocinante as critically wounded as he was?

What had happened to him?


	14. Chapter 14

Law was grateful that Kaya was there to direct his attention to where it was needed so that he could get into the process of piecing Rocinante back together. He was still reeling from the shock of seeing the officer lying there in the first place. Law recalled the offer from what seemed like such a long time ago of patching the blond haired officer up. It had been amusing at the time because it had made Rocinante smile, but now, seeing the other man lying still and so heavily wounded, the offer was no longer as entertaining as it had been back then.

Law's eyes fell over Rocinante again, and he couldn't help but again wonder what had happened to the man. He had an uncomfortable, nagging feeling that he might have had something to do with it.

"Dr. Trafalgar, the IVs are set. We're ready to begin when you are."

"The patient's vitals are faint but steady right now."

The dark haired surgeon shook himself out of his trance, and focused on what he was familiar with. Fixing things by piecing the patient back together.

Law realized as he got started that Rocinante was dressed in that tacky heart patterned dress shirt that he'd seen him in before. It wasn't on for very long as it was carefully cut away to get to the wounds beneath. Law noted that Rocinante also had a mark beneath his right eye and a painted on smile that extended past his lips. Both of which were being cleaned off by some of the assistants to avoid having the makeup run into any of the gashes on his cheek or the side of his head. If the situation wasn't so dire, Law might have been inclined to laugh at the ridiculous red hood with hearts attached to the straps, before it was disposed of to better get a look at the wound.

For some reason, it was a shame to see the hood go because the surgeon rather liked it for some reason. Perhaps he'd have a new one made...if Rocinante wanted it.

Law worked automatically as he called out for different pieces of surgical tools as he attempted to piece back together cut skin and carefully removed any traces of lodged bullets. It had been lucky that none of the bullets had pierced anything vital, though he'd found many traces of the shots in Rocinante's chest, right leg, and even one or two that had even grazed his hip.

The surgeon focused solely on the wounds because he didn't want the guilt to seep in. He wondered vaguely if Rocinante had been doing something illegal, but dismissed that idea immediately and figured that it had to do with the undercover work he'd talked about this past winter before he had said no more. Law hoped that he would be able to ask Rocinante about it, as he fervently went about patching the blond up as best he could. Even if it was only for the man to say he couldn't tell him.

The surgery didn't last nearly as long as Law felt it had, but took it as a good sign that Rocinante appeared to be breathing more easily once he had finished. Law filled out the paperwork himself, and had to wonder who would have done this to _his_ Cora…

Law crossed out a mistake as he flushed. Since when was Rocinante _his_? Even as the thought crossed his mind, the dark haired surgeon anxiously looked up and over at the door across the hall. He knew that behind that door, Rocinante was resting. Would the blond haired man forgive him for acting as he had? Or would they simply part ways again as soon as Rocinante was well again? The pen paused on the piece of paper as Law's chest tightened at that possibility of Rocinante leaving his life. Law couldn't have that, especially after making sure that the man had not died from his injuries. But it was at that tight sensation in his chest and the desire to have Rocinante stay with him that something that Law felt he'd known for some time surfaced in his mind.

He was in love with that clumsy fool.

He loved the smile that Rocinante gave him when he saw him. He even loved the way the blond would fall over or catch himself on fire with those terrible cigarettes. Liked the way that they would meet each other during their free time even though both were busy with their respective jobs.

Law liked the attention that Rocinante gave him, even if the surgeon seemed to be mortified by it on occasion. The kisses and the hugs and the general affection that he received from Rocinante were something that he never would have thought could be so welcome. The dark haired surgeon ran a hand over his face with a sigh.

Love...it was love, wasn't it?

With an effort, Law went back to the paperwork. He felt that, at the very least, he wanted to tell Rocinante that he loved him. If the blond haired officer still wanted to leave after that for how poorly the surgeon had treated him, Law would at least feel better after getting that off his chest.

Love...

Law had never expected to fall in love, or realize that he had been in love for some time but had just never admitted it to himself. He wanted that chance to tell Rocinante, because he had the feeling that it would actually make the blond haired officer very happy.

-x-

Over his next few days during his shifts, Law visited Rocinante in his hospital room during his free time. When the surgeon didn't work, he would visit and stay for hours on end before being gently reminded that visiting hours were over and that he should go home and get some rest. Law would even forget the time of day occasionally when he would sit on a chair in the blond haired officer's hospital room as he would check on how he was doing. Shachi and Penguin had had to make sure that the surgeon would eat when they saw him at home, after what little sleep Law could manage to get.

And when Law was sure that no one would come into the room unannounced, he would hold Rocinante's hand in his own. And Law would then proceed talk to him, as he would when they met up for lunch or in the park or even his own home.

Two weeks after the surgery, there was still no sign of Rocinante waking up, even though his vitals all indicated that there should be nothing preventing him from doing so. Although given how deep and damaging some of the wounds had nearly been Law wasn't surprised in the least bit that Rocinante was taking so long to recover consciousness.

Four days later, and Law was again in Rocinante's room, sitting alongside his bedside.

"Cora..."

Law reached over and held Rocinante's limp right hand in his own, and brought it to his lips to kiss, before he gripped the limb tightly in both of his hands.

"I'm sorry, Cora." The softly spoken words fell on deaf ears, because Law knew that the other man was still unconscious. But Law liked to think that Rocinante's face looked a little more peaceful than it had before at his words.

-x-

Rocinante woke up disoriented, but somehow, miraculously, he was still alive. That was a surprise. He had thought that he was done for when he had dragged himself off, badly wounded and losing a lot of blood from the multitude of wounds he had suffered. Rocinante knew that he had to be in a hospital based on the IVs in his left arm and the beeping of the machines in the room. He must have also been operated on, because Rocinante didn't feel nearly as terrible as he had before. The bandages were also a good indication of that surgery. Although, the presence of a catheter pointed to the fact that he must have been unconscious for some time.

The blond promptly decided to not think about that.

Rocinante let out a sigh. He highly doubted that he would have made it anywhere near the hospital that Law worked at. And even if he had, Law had made it clear that he didn't want to see or speak to him again. Rocinante's chest tightened at the thought, but it had nothing to do with the blond haired man's injuries.

"Law..." Perhaps it would have been better if he had died. He had no one left apart from his coworkers at the police station. He most certainly had no family left; not ones that he could really see, anyway. Nearly dying from his wounds proved that more clearly than anything else. And yet there he was, still alive with nothing to really live for other than his job and one lingering regret.

"Cora?"

Rocinante froze on the bed he was lying on, the heart monitor spiking a little at the quiet query. He had spoken too soon. Perhaps he'd been mistaken about who was left in his life. The blond haired officer slowly tilted his head to the side.

It was Law who had spoken, and the surgeon was dressed in casual clothes, sitting next to his bedside with a strained expression; like he wasn't sure what to do now that he saw that Rocinante was awake. Even if Law did have a hand on the bed and was slowly sitting up from the slouch he had been in.

Rocinante's heart beat a little faster, and it was picked up by the heart monitor. Had…had Law been the one to help him? He would have thought it would have been too hard on Law to even make the attempt.

Neither spoke as Law leaned in close to run a hand through Rocinante's hair, and then slid the hand down to lightly caress the blond's cheek. It seemed like an almost unconscious gesture, and had Rocinante not been mesmerized by Law doing what he was, he might have missed the look in the dark haired man's eyes.

Rocinante blinked as Law's hand stilled on his cheek, and he flicked his gaze to the surgeon's uncertainly. Rocinante realized that he wasn't imagining things. There were tears in Law's eyes as the surgeon looked as if he couldn't believe the other was actually awake.

"Cora..." Law's hand dropped to the bed as the dark haired man squeezed a handful of sheets.

"...Law?" Rocinante reached out with his right hand and rested it over Law's. The blond patiently waited for a response, but what he got was unexpected. Rocinante had not at all been prepared for Law to free his hand and all but crawl onto the bed. That had been startling, but so was the fact that Law had wasted no more time on words as he dragged him into a very firm and lingering kiss as he pressed their lips together insistently. And made it quite clear that he didn't want the feather light kiss that they normally shared with one another. Rocinante felt one of the surgeon's hands dig into his hair, though his touch was gentle and avoided the bandages that were wrapped around his head.

"You're awake, Cora." At the pleased, mumbled words into the kiss, Law's tongue darted out firmly across the blond's lips.

Rocinante blinked again, fairly certain that he was blushing by now based on how startled he was by Law's forwardness. He most certainly was awake now with what Law was doing. He'd have to be really out of it on pain meds to not realize that the dark haired man was practically in his lap and kissing him like his life depended on it. It made Rocinante wonder how long he'd been unconscious. But then again, to have Law worried about him at all made the blond haired man...happy. It made him very, very happy that the surgeon actually _did_ care about his well-being. But apparently, right now, Law was more concerned about showing Rocinante just how relieved he was that he was awake and alive.

"Cora."

At the light, insistent nip to his lips this time, Rocinante closed his eyes and hesitantly parted his mouth to allow for a deeper kiss.

The manner in which the dark haired surgeon kissed Rocinante after that most certainly spoke volumes about how Law had felt about them being parted from one another for those few months.

-x-

Rocinante wondered if Law was trying to give him a heart attack on top of all of his injuries that he was currently recovering from. The blond wrapped his right arm around Law's back as the dark haired surgeon broke the kiss. Rocinante made brief eye contact, before he watched as Law leaned forward to rest his head against his nearest shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

Rocinante blinked, before he heard Law break down further and mumble something along similar lines. The blond haired officer's surprise faded and he carefully drew back to see that yes, he hadn't imagined the tears. Law was obviously trying hard not to cry, but he appeared more relieved than anything that Rocinante was alive. That kiss moments before certainly meant that the anger Law had directed at him from months before had been an outpouring of too much information at once. Rocinante felt that perhaps he hadn't lost Law after all, and that the surgeon had merely needed some space after learning the truth behind his sister's death. For the time being, the blond haired man decided to speak.

"Were you the one that patched me back together?" Rocinante's voice was soft and weary, though he tried to sound a little more teasing than in pain.

The surgeon nodded but said nothing.

“That must have been difficult for you.” Rocinante gently eased Law's head away from his shoulder so that he could rest his forehead against the surgeon's. “But I’m glad you made sure I got put back together. It would have been hard for me to see you if I was unconscious for too long.”

Law let out a broken little laugh at Rocinante's attempt at levity. "I thought you were dead." The surgeon carefully wrapped his arms around Rocinante's neck, his fingers gently carding through the hair in a light caress. "You were so still, and I was the only surgeon on hand at the time that could actually do the procedures that needed to be done."

"When I passed out from those wounds...I thought I wasn't going to be waking back up." Rocinante said in response as he ran his right hand lightly along Law's back in a soothing gesture. “But I’m glad that you were able to keep together and help me.”

There was only the sound the heart monitor going back to normal as silence reigned for the next several minutes.

"I missed you." Rocinante broke the silence after he took a shuddering breath, before he leaned forward and nosed along the side of Law's throat. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Law could only manage a nod in return as if he agreed with the other man’s words before he tilted his head to the side as Rocinante kissed his throat, before the blond made his way down to the collarbone that was peeking out from beneath the jacket. Law rested his arms over the blond's shoulder's, as if he didn't want to be parted from him quite yet.

"Are you still mad at me?" Rocinante wondered aloud, as he was forced to stop what he was doing as he tugged something in his side. Right, he was injured and he probably shouldn't be moving around too much until he knew what condition he was in.

"No. I checked with your workplace a few weeks ago and they said that you hadn't touched that information until that day." Law carefully moved back and dropped his arms away from Rocinante, apparently remembering that the other man was still recovering, even if he did loop one hand around Rocinante's right one tightly. "I...overreacted."

"I suppose I would too if I learned something like that..." Rocinante said, before he realized just how tightly Law clung to his hand. Rocinante’s smile became a little uncertain. "What is it, Law?"

"I realized something when I saw you lying there." Law admitted quietly. "Especially when I had to leave so that they could move you to another room."

"And what would that be?" Rocinante turned his hand over in Law's and traced a thumb along the surgeon's comfortingly.

"...That I love you."

If Rocinante hadn't been sitting, he would have likely fallen over at the barely audible confession. The happiness quickly took hold of him and spread as Rocinante felt as if the actions he had taken regarding his undercover work hadn't been all for nothing. "I love you too." With a smile, Rocinante pecked Law on the cheek. "I think I have ever since you gave me your number...and especially after you found me in the snow and helped me."

"So soon?" Law looked horrified at the very thought of infatuation taking hold of someone so soon. The surgeon looked off to the side with a frown as he mused over that new piece of information. "...Why didn't you say anything before that night then?"

"I didn't want to scare you away if you didn't feel that same way about me." Rocinante freed his hand and tapped the bed sheets absently as he looked to the side as well. "And you _did_ say that one time during lunch that you weren't interested in a relationship, romantic or otherwise."

"I'm still not interested."

Rocinante turned his head to give Law a hurt look, before he realized that the dark haired man was smiling at him.

"But I want to be with _you_ , Cora. No one else."

The heart monitor was going crazy by now as Rocinante urged Law closer to him again so that he could kiss him. The blond had a difficult time calming himself down, as neither he nor Law wanted the nurses to come into the room to scold them. Or worse, catch sight of them trying to eat one another's tongues as Rocinante deepened the kiss with his right hand behind Law's head.

Rocinante absolutely loved the way that Law laughed lightheartedly after their kiss broke, and was further happy that Law was apparently willing to be with him again. Rocinante knew that he couldn't stand to be parted from Law again, and hoped that the other man would feel the same. He would just have to make sure to have information ready the next time, and hope that Law would not overreact without trying to muddle through the information first…

"Cora." Law breathed faintly against the side of the blond's throat, distracting Rocinante from his thoughts.

Rocinante clung to the dark haired surgeon wordlessly despite being unable to use his IV hooked up left arm. He was very pleased that Law was thinking rationally again, for the most part, but really, the blond haired officer needed to calm down before he gave himself a heart attack from being so overjoyed. Law merely smirked as he drew back a bit. It looked as if he were about to say something very devious, and the blond wasn't very far off the mark.

"Want to know who hooked you up to the catheter?"

Rocinante found that smirk very attractive, and decided that he wouldn't mind seeing it more often. Then the other man's words registered and Rocinante was sure that he blushed. He actually didn't want to know because the very thought of Law possibly seeing him without his clothes on was...

"Cora?"

At the sight of Law retaining the smirk, the blond haired officer soon found himself with a new problem that required immediate attention despite said catheter.

Law smirked some more, clearly enjoying himself, though he was obviously more pleased with the fact that Rocinante was going to be all right. And went in for another kiss which gave Rocinante more cause to feel uncomfortable. Unfortunately, being injured made it difficult for Rocinante to take care of said problem, and there would be no relief any time in the foreseeable future. At the very least, the blanket hid the evidence, and Law was again merely showing just how relieved he was that the blond haired man was alive.

By trying to deprive him of his air in another very, very thorough exploration of Rocinante's mouth.

Rocinante wondered whether or not this meant that Law was comfortable around him or if he would flee as soon as the clothes started to be taken out of the picture some other time. Rocinante decided that he didn't care either way so long as this meant that he was able to see and talk to Law again.

The general happy vibe in the room shifted as the door to the room abruptly opened.

"Dr. Trafalgar, you let that poor man get his breath back before you go kissin' him like that." One of the nurses said as she entered the room unannounced and wagged a finger at the pair of them.

The other nurse that had entered the room broke down into helpless laughter at the sight of Law slinking off into the bathroom to sulk at being caught as she checked Rocinante's vitals. The flushed face didn't do much to help protect the surgeon from the nurses' teasing, both of whom had an idea as to the two men's relationship.

Rocinante merely smiled, deliriously happy that he had woken up in such a wonderful way.


	15. Chapter 15

Two weeks after he'd woken in the hospital, and had no obvious impairments from his injuries, Rocinante was allowed to leave the hospital. The blond haired officer would have to come back for a check up to make sure that his wounds were fully healed over, and that there was no lingering damage from the bullets. Rocinante was merely grateful that this meant that he could go home, although that presented a problem.

What if Doflamingo had people watching his apartment, in case he had survived those injuries that had been inflicted upon him?

"Cora?"

Rocinante glanced to the right to offer a brief smile to Law, who was walking alongside him. "Do you think that I could stay over at your house for a while?" The blond haired officer wanted desperately to hug Law for the flustered look that had come over him. "I think you may have guessed that I was injured while working undercover and I hate to say that I think they know where I live." He was fairly certain that Doflamingo would know where Law lived by now as well, but if his brother wasn't sure whether he was alive or not, he might dismiss Law's place for the time being.

Because Rocinante knew as well as Doflamingo that the officer's apartment would be the first place he would normally go if he'd been hurt, if not a trip to the hospital beforehand.

"...that's fine. But aren't your clothes at your place?" Law appeared to be mollified over the fact that it was due to the other man's job that he had asked to stay over.

"I hadn't thought of that." Rocinante admitted, feeling foolish about it as he felt around for his wallet. And then realized that he hadn't had it on him the day he'd been injured. The blond haired man ran a hand through his hair as he continued to walk. "I was going to buy some new clothes, but I suppose I can always wash this one a few times."

"You are not wearing those hospital scrubs around my house." Law said bluntly.

"Why not?" Rocinante didn't see the problem. He could always get another uniform at work; it wasn’t like he’d be wearing the scrubs 24/7.

"It's too tempting." Law said with an averted gaze.

"How?" Rocinante scrunched his brow as he tried to figure that out and turned his gaze to find that Law not looking at him. The blond looked himself over. He supposed that the outfit was a bit tight because it didn't exactly fit him. Especially the pants. Rocinante caught on and smiled cheerfully as he descended upon Law to give him a quick hug.

"Cora!"

"Not much left to the imagination?" Rocinante teased. He still hadn't forgotten about the catheter question.

Law said nothing and merely made a direct beeline for the nearest clothing store, which amused and mortified Rocinante at the same time, because he saw the looks of the patrons and employees alike and decided that perhaps Law was right.

Having clothing his size around would was a good thing to have, but the blond was most certainly going to later tease Law about the not very subtle stares he'd received most of the way home from the hospital and into that clothing store.

-x-

Rocinante had insisted that Law didn't need to buy him all the clothes that he had but the surgeon didn't listen. So they ended up with bags of clothing that Law insisted that he had the money to buy and Rocinante was trying to wrap his mind around it. It wasn't like he was going to get to stay at Law's house as often as he would like to as soon as the danger had passed.

Even if the blond would have liked that.

Rocinante also wasn't sure if Doflamingo would even bother to target him even if he did realize that he was alive without it being obvious that he and the people he worked with were behind it. Rocinante's worries were placed to the side for the night, however, as he enjoyed spending time with Law in the evening after the dark haired surgeon had made dinner. Rocinante had learned that Law's roommates were gone for the week, and that made the blond very happy because it meant that he got to spend more time alone with Law.

Unfortunately, it appeared as though Law had reverted to being uncertain about some things regarding the two of them. As soon as Rocinante had initiated a make out session on the surgeon's bed, Law had immediately shied away after he'd realized that his shirt was off. That ended the kissing or anything else as Law rolled onto his side, making it clear that he was going to sleep.

It made Rocinante feel better that Law hadn't told him to leave, so he stayed on the other side of the bed to doze.

-x-

Rocinante doubted that he'd been out for very long when he was awoken by Law as the surgeon gasped and jerked backward into him, his breath harsh as if he'd been running. Rocinante sleepily looped an arm around Law's waist and brought him to his chest.

Law's shaking and rapid breathing calmed slightly as one of his hands gripped the blond's tightly.

"What's wrong?" Rocinante mumbled. "Nightmare?"

"...nothing." Law managed to say after he had taken a deep breath and let it out. "It's nothing."

"It's all right." Rocinante murmured in response as he continued to hold on to the dark haired surgeon.

Several minutes went by and just as the blond haired officer was about to doze off again, he heard Law speak up.

"I can't sleep."

Rocinante woke a little more at the fact that Law now ran his hands along his face as he started to kiss him, starting with his jaw. As much as Rocinante enjoyed the contact, he was too tired to go back to their earlier activities, so he merely brought his arms up and around Law's back to stop the dark haired man's kisses.

"Cora?"

"Close your eyes, Law." Rocinante heard Law let out a faint huff at being stopped, before he felt the surgeon nestle closer him with a short sigh. Rocinante began to murmur softly, mainly about nonsense things, because he figured that if he could get Law to relax he would fall back asleep.

And soon enough, both Rocinante and Law had drifted off, and this time they were able to sleep through the night, because no one was around the wake them.

-x-

The dark haired surgeon pretended that he had not had the nightmare, nor that he had clung to Rocinante and still had been clinging to him when he had awoken the next morning. But as the days passed, Law put the incident to the back of his mind as he fell back into the habit of meeting up with Rocinante during some of his lunch breaks from work.

A month or so after Rocinante had been released from the hospital, Law had met up with the blond haired officer for lunch, and had been enjoying himself. The key words were ‘had been enjoying’, because out of the blue one of Law’s former patients turned up in the restaurant that he had treated some months before he'd met Rocinante. Much to the surgeon's horror, Rocinante and the patient, whom he recalled was named Luffy, hit it off instantly, and had spent the better part of the past twenty minutes praising Law's skills as a surgeon during both of their operations. The conversation then drifted to Law's sarcastic exterior at work while Luffy enthusiastically ate a lunch of his own.

"And I thought that he was going to be serious and creepy but he was mostly just grumpy." Luffy was saying as he polished off his hamburger. "And he looked tired, but that's probably 'cause he doesn't sleep enough."

"Well, he is a surgeon. Law has odd hours that he might have to work." Rocinante looked to be heavily amused, and he kept Law in place with a hand firmly over the surgeon's right thigh.

"Ace said when he was in the hospital last week to get a sprained elbow looked at, he said that he saw Law sass two nurses and an assistant."

"Oh really? He hasn't done anything like that around me." Rocinante gave Law's thigh a light squeeze.

Law made a sound between a gasp and a yelp and shooed Rocinante's hand away from his leg as he shot the other man a warning glare. The surgeon was met with a brilliant smile and Law momentarily forgot what he was going to say.

"But he's nice once you get to know him." Luffy said as he popped a fry in his mouth, oblivious to the fact that Rocinante had just slipped his left hand beneath the table to take ahold of Law's right hand again.

"Yes, he is, although he is still grumpy when he isn't otherwise…occupied." Rocinante offered the surgeon a devious little smile.

Law looked away but squeezed Rocinante's hand, knowing that the blond haired officer meant when they were at his home and Law didn't mind being more relaxed and smiling around him. Among other things, like those distracting kisses. Not that Law didn't smile at work. It was just a different kind of smile.

Rocinante gave Law's hand a gentle squeeze in return and smiled again. The smile was more apologetic than anything, as if the blond had noticed that the surgeon wasn't particularly happy about Luffy's intrusion into their meal.

Law felt that he might have been able to stand to be in the restaurant a little while longer, until Luffy's next words made him hastily leave money on the table and abandon his seat altogether.

"What are you guys doing over there?"

Rocinante, for his part, merely smiled and got up to follow after Law. And tripped and fell flat on his back as yet another regular fight between one of the cooks, Sanji, and a customer, a green haired teen named Zoro, broke out over alcohol and the refusal to sell it to minors.

Luffy promptly forgot about Law as he turned to watch the show.


	16. Chapter 16

Rocinante was quite relieved that everything had gone back to normal. Or as normal as things could be when two people seeing one another had two vastly different schedules. The blond haired officer was glad that there appeared to be no long lasting damage after the three month break up before Law had admitted that he was in love with him at the hospital…

"Law." Rocinante couldn't help but wriggle slightly in his seat at how giddy he felt whenever he thought of the dark haired surgeon's quiet admission. And then that lunch a month or so ago when Luffy had shown up. Rocinante smiled just thinking about how flustered Law had been when the blond and Luffy had talked about his skills as a surgeon, and then lightly jabbed at his social skills. It had been rather...adorable, how Law had made his getaway soon after that.

"Oy, Corazon, where are those papers for room 3? We got a suspect that's been in there for over an hour and we need to process him already."

Rocinante fumbled with some paper on the desk in front of him and somehow managed to fall out of his seat in the process. Rocinante hit the ground and sprawled out on his back out in the hall of the station, though his arm shot up with the papers clutched in his hand.

"Are you sure you don't do that on purpose?"

"No, I don't." Rocinante waved the papers in the air and they were snatched from his grasp with a chuckle.

"Well, whatever. And you do know that your shift's been over for fifteen minutes, right?"

Rocinante was left to right himself and take care of a few more things, but he hadn't forgotten that his shift was already over. In fact, the blond haired officer had noticed that he'd been staying around the police station later than he needed to, even after he'd clocked out. Though mainly just for the past week, as Law had been more or less avoiding him again, and it made Rocinante wonder if the surgeon was mad at him. But it didn't make sense for him to be, and Rocinante hoped that Law would at least voice something if he was unhappy. The surgeon did appear to be busier as of late at the hospital, and Rocinante was certain that Law was avidly following any news of the doctor that had been arrested some months ago that had been responsible for patient deaths, including his sister's.

"See ya, Corazon!"

Rocinante wordlessly raised a hand in return as he left the station. As he walked, he pondered the inner workings of Law's mind, before he decided the other man was too complicated to figure out in some aspects. Guiltily, Rocinante wondered if he might have pushed things a bit too far by being a little more affectionate as of late, and the few instances where he and Law had been in the process of removing one another's clothes before the surgeon would shut down and be unresponsive. Rocinante was utterly confused but at the same time figured that it had sounded like Law had never really cared about being intimate with anyone before, so focused on his job as he was. But Rocinante was content to wait and see if and when Law would be comfortable, because he really didn't want to have another fight over something like sex that would perhaps make Law leave him again.

Rocinante's cell phone went off and the blond glanced at the caller id, and lit up as he answered the phone. "Hello, Law." Rocinante's voice had taken on a warm, happy tone.

' _Do you want to come over to my house for dinner tonight? I finally have a break in my schedule.'_

"Of course." Rocinante wondered why Law had chosen to break the one week silence now but really, he honestly didn't care so long as he got to see the dark haired surgeon.

' _When are you done with work_?'

"Now. I was going to head home-"

_ 'Then you can come over now, Cora.'  _

Rocinante stared at his phone as Law abruptly hung up. The blond haired officer checked the time and smiled again as he figured out why Law had disconnected so abruptly.

It was only one in the afternoon.

Rocinante made it over to Law’s house in record time.

-x-

The dark haired wasn't sure what to do now that he had called Rocinante over and earlier than he was prepared for, but perhaps it was for the best before he could back out of what he'd decided to do. Law really did want to see Rocinante because he hadn't for a whole week.

Law absently fussed with the bedsheets in his bedroom, and then the ones on the couch in his room that he had bought to be put there. He'd been doing a lot of thinking over the past week, and mostly over the fact that Rocinante had been more affectionate in that he wanted to touch Law more. The surgeon knew that from the last few times that he and the other man had ended up making out somewhere in the house, that Rocinante would excuse himself from whichever room they happened to be in to go to the bathroom, but Law knew better. He knew exactly what the blond was up to in the bathroom, and it certainly wasn't to relieve himself in the way he had made the excuse for. Law had been grateful that Rocinante hadn't yet pushed him to do anything else, but felt almost as if the other man were getting impatient with him, as if wondering when he was going to make up his mind.

Even though the surgeon had a feeling that Rocinante didn't mind in the least bit and was content to wait for as long as was necessary.

-x-

Rocinante enjoyed spending the afternoon at Law's house, and enjoyed the dark haired man's company immensely. He'd even managed to get Law to laugh a little bit, at least until Rocinante had mentioned that Luffy was insisting on getting together for another lunch or dinner sometime.

"Absolutely not." Was Law's response.

Rocinante had squeezed the air out of the surgeon in a hug at the sight of a scowl that had appeared on the other man's face at the very idea.

It was when the time got nearer to dinnertime that Rocinante realized that something was troubling Law, and found out quickly enough what that was when the other man cornered him in the living room.

And started to kiss him.

Rocinante did not mind that at all and merely inclined his head as Law stood on tiptoe to dig his hands through his hair as they kissed. Rocinante held perfectly still as Law pressed up against him, mirroring what they'd done in that pool shower some months before. The blond hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Law's back to hold him there. After checking to make sure that it was fine, Rocinante tilted his head to the side to start to kiss Law's throat. Rocinante nosed his way along until he found that spot between ear and jaw, and was surprised that Law damn near moaned at the kisses he laid there.

"Cora." Law pressed himself closer as he practically clung to the other man.

Rocinante stumbled backward and ended up falling over the arm of the couch and onto his back, bringing Law along with him. Rocinante started to sit up but lost his balance again as the surgeon shoved him in the chest. The blond let out a gasp as he ended up on his back again before he lifted his head slightly to meet Law's eyes. At least, he tried to, but the dark haired man's next action left him breathless. Rocinante had not expected Law to jump him like this.

Nor kiss him like he did after Law had seemed to come to some sort of internal decision.

"Law…" Rocinante said shakily as he felt the surgeon's hands slip beneath his sweater to brace against his skin. The blond felt a little self-conscious despite the fact that this wasn't the first time that Law had touched his bare skin. But as the surgeon started to tentatively trace the skin there, Rocinante became a little concerned because at the rate this was going he was going to have to go and…

"Cora."

Rocinante realized something then, and hastily pinned Law's hands down before he brought them out from beneath his sweater. The blond haired man saw the confusion cross Law's face, but lifted the other's hands to his lips to kiss before he spoke. "Stop."

Law wore an even more perplexed expression now, like he couldn't figure out why Rocinante would want him to stop.

"You're not ready." Rocinante said simply as he let go of Law's hands to trail one of his own down along the dark haired man's hip. Rocinante dipped a few fingers down the waistband of the pants, which drew forth a faint but noticeable flinch. The blond left it at that. "Don't push yourself." Rocinante propped himself up on his elbows and laid a light kiss on Law's forehead before he slid out from beneath the surgeon, and off of the couch.

Rocinante tripped over the living room rug on his way to the bathroom.

-x-

"Not ready?" Law murmured to himself some ten minutes later. The dark haired man sat silently for a moment longer, before he rose from the couch to go and stare down Rocinante, who had dozed off on a chair after his trip to the bathroom. The surgeon gazed at Rocinante for a few long moments, before he turned away and headed to the kitchen to begin to make dinner preparations.

And think.

Law pondered all through dinner and late into the night, long after Rocinante had gotten back to his apartment all right. Apparently whatever it was that had had the blond worried to go to his own home was either resolved or no longer an issue at present. The surgeon came up with a solution to the problem that he faced with regards to Rocinante at four in the morning. Law felt that he would need to utilize the library and a computer to come up with some kind of definite plan.

The surgeon also planned to take advantage of the fact that in a week and a half, he would have known Rocinante for a whole year.


	17. Chapter 17

Rocinante was staring at him. The blond haired officer had taken to doing that ever since yesterday when Law had tried to…move things along in their relationship. And had failed miserably because Rocinante had noticed that Law hadn't been in the mood.

At all.

This was the reason why Law was currently on a chair in his living room and reading a book. He had less than a week to figure out what he was going to do, and the surgeon was going to make the most of that time doing as much research as possible. But that didn't mean that he was going to neglect Rocinante as he had the week before. At the very least, Law knew that Rocinante had found some way to amuse himself when they were in the same room but not engaged with one another in conversation.

The staring, however, was a little disconcerting. It was almost as if Rocinante were trying to figure out what was going on in his mind.

The surgeon gave his head a light shake as he smirked briefly at something he'd come across, aware of Rocinante's eyes on him. The book was definitely on the right track, seeing how closely Rocinante was paying attention to him. It was nice that the blond was so interested in him, but at the same time, there were numerous things that Rocinante could be doing right now.

Such as sitting next to him, but Law wasn't going to admit that out loud. Especially since he was seated on a chair so he wasn't exactly sure how Rocinante was supposed to join him without being on top of him. He knew that Rocinante would be overjoyed no matter the seating situation, and the surgeon was pretty positive that he would have the breath squeezed out of him for how 'cute' he was being.

Law most certainly was not that.

Not at all.

The surgeon went back to his book, but after another hour of Rocinante's gaze solely on him he couldn't take it anymore and lifted his gaze from the pages of the book.

"What are you staring at?" Law knew he would get a response, but he wasn't sure what to make of the warm smile he received in addition to the answer.

"Your eyes." Rocinante said, a little sheepish at being caught, but he'd obviously been expecting to be at some point.

"Why?" Law didn't see what the big deal was about someone's eyes.

"I like the color." Rocinante said softly in return, as he studied the surgeon from where he was seated.

"They're not all that special." Law stated, as he got up off of the chair.

"But they are. The color contrasts nicely with the pupils." Rocinante sounded as if it should have been obvious that Law had amazing golden colored eyes. The blond's lips quirked into a teasing little smile. "And I like that I can see your emotions in them."

Law said nothing as he settled on the couch next to Rocinante and opened his book again to peruse it. The surgeon made no move as the blond haired officer scooted over so that he could rest up against him comfortably. There was a companionable silent, before Shachi slid into the living room with a smile.

"What'cha reading, Law?"

"A book about sex." Law stated blandly as he fastidiously turned a page. He exchanged a smirk with his roommate as Rocinante spluttered next to him, clearly not expecting that. Law would keep mum about the fact that Shachi had lent him the book, though it wasn't just about sex. The dark haired surgeon had just wanted to tease Rocinante a little bit.

"Why are you reading about…that?" Rocinante still sounded embarrassed, though he didn't make any move to leave.

"I'm going to go get some take out." Shachi announced as he headed toward the front door. "See ya later."

Law waited until Shachi was gone before he turned his head to give the blond a brief kiss on the nose before he went back to reading. Law hid a smile as Rocinante nuzzled the side of his neck in return, a warm presence by his side. But he didn't answer Rocinante's question. Law would let him think about it on his own. The surgeon was not about to admit to doing research, because he wasn't reading a medical book.

It was a relationship one. It had made Law wonder if Shachi was seeing anyone, or if his roommate had gotten it because he figured that the surgeon might want something like it at some point.

"But _why_ are you reading it?" Rocinante persisted after about ten minutes of cuddling. "I did say that I was fine with waiting for you to-"

"You'll have to wait and see. If you keep bothering me, you won't." Law glanced out of the corner of his eye at the blond. "Or would you prefer for me to read aloud and make you all hot and bothered? There are some rather interesting lines in here that I think would do for that purpose, if you'd like that."

Rocinante retaliated to the rather sassily made offer by firmly kissing a line down along Law's neck as one long arm looped around the surgeon's back to hold him close.

"Don't tempt me." The blond haired officer muttered as he dipped his head to nose along Law's jaw.

"Be patient, Cora." The surgeon said as he shooed the blond away.

Rocinante relented even as he let out a soft sigh. He did smile, however, when Law silently offered one of his hands for him to hold, and smiled mischievously as he kissed the hand and made Law fumble his book one handed.

Law kept on reading, even when Rocinante settled his chin on his shoulder, because the surgeon was bound and determined to find some way to make Rocinante happy.

Well, happier than he already was.

Law would sort out his feelings, or lack thereof, on the matter of increased physical affection in the meantime.

-x-

Law stared at his bed as if it were mocking him. The surgeon then transferred his glare to the sheets as if they too had somehow joined in on some unsaid joke, and perhaps there was one.

Because the surgeon was currently naked from the waist down.

Law muttered crossly under his breath. It wasn’t like he hadn’t ever…touched himself before. He just had not done so very often. With a sigh and a light shake of his head, Law settled on his bed and stared down at his dick and the limp state that it currently was in in a rather offended way.

The dark haired surgeon closed his eyes and figured that if he was going to get anywhere with what he had been reading, he would have to get on with it already. Law tentatively wrapped a hand around himself and started to stroke, even if he had no desire whatsoever to be doing this. It had just happened that this was the only time during the day that Law happened to have nothing in his schedule, and if he kept putting it off he was going to avoid it altogether.

Because he’d decided to practice on himself.

It was slow going because Law honestly felt nothing but a faint twitch of interest, even after he’d doubtfully flicked a thumb over the tip. It seemed as if even his dick wasn’t interested in being felt up by his own hand.

It offended the dark haired surgeon again that his body wouldn’t react how and when he wanted it to.

-x-

The dark haired surgeon had a problem that had cropped up during the research he had been doing that week. Law had been…experimenting on himself, despite the fact that he had little to no desire to masturbate ever since he was a teenager. And even those times had been far and few between, due to all the studying Law had done back then to become a doctor. It left little time to pleasure oneself, though that didn't mean that he hadn't done it before. Law just never really had the desire to get off, and still had no desire to do so now, even while he practiced on himself. But Law did so anyway, because he wanted to be able to make Rocinante happy. At least until the surgeon was able to make up his mind on the whole matter.

It wasn't like Law could tell Rocinante what he was up to. Not without owning up to the fact that he had spent hours of his free time trying to figure something out. Law wasn't quite sure what to make of the fact that he could hardly get himself off and would only actually come once in a while those past few days. Law decided that it didn't matter, because he really was more interested in what he could do for Rocinante and not necessarily for himself if he wasn't in the mood.

-x-

The surgeon had had it up to here with his damn dick and its seeming desire to not function as it should. In fact, right now, Law barely felt the stirrings of any arousal whatsoever.

And then Law happened to stumble upon a thought that made the cock in his hand twitch to life.

The surgeon hastily stilled his hand as a blush of mortification crossed his face. Law’s face then became set as he closed his eyes and took a breath, before he began to move his hand again and thought about Rocinante.

The surgeon found it rather fascinating at just how quickly he’d been able to become aroused that time around.

Law frowned down at his lap after his most recent attempt, and supposed it had yielded some results. Those results being that his body reacted more should he happen to think about Rocinante. He wondered if the same held true for the blond haired officer. Did he get those erections just because he thought about Law and had been touching and kissing him?

The surgeon glanced up at the small calendar on his desk. Two more days, and it would then be a year since he'd met the blond haired officer. Law wondered if the other man remembered, and supposed that Rocinante was so attentive to him that he was likely counting down the days. The surgeon side glanced at the red hood that he had had some help in making, mainly from those that had seen the hood when Law had operated on Rocinante.

The dark haired man supposed that all the research he had done would depend on how the...mood was after they had dinner two days from now. Law would insist on making it himself and not going out to a restaurant, and just knew that Rocinante wouldn't mind.

After another day of researching and experimenting, Law now had a plan, and he was ready to follow through with it.

-x-

Rocinante was amused that Law had made such a fuss over having dinner at his house. As if he had expected him to argue the fact. But Rocinante was quite content to have dinner with Law at the surgeon's house. It was more private that way, and Law was much more relaxed around him than if they were out on a public place.

The blond stretched out from where he was seated at the table, and waited with a small smile on his face. Rocinante had noticed that Law's roommates were gone, and the house was cleaner than it normally was, which meant that Law had likely worn himself out cleaning the entire place. Rocinante had also noted the flowers in vases here and there scattered throughout the house when he'd come in, and had smiled knowingly at Law.

The surgeon had hastily excused himself into the kitchen with a faint blush.

Rocinante smiled to himself. Law wasn't the only one who knew that today marked a year since they'd met.

The dinner was as delicious as it always was, and it continued to amaze Rocinante that someone who could cook as well as Law would forget to eat so often. The blond haired man had entertained himself throughout dinner by smiling at Law quite a bit, if only because it caused the surgeon to become flustered. But when dinner ended, and the dishes were taken care of, the tables were turned and it was Rocinante's turn to become flustered.

"Let's go to my room, Cora."

"Law, if you don't-"

The dark haired surgeon ended the statement by leaning up and kissing Rocinante firmly on the lips to dissuade further argument.

"Law?" The blond asked, a little distracted by the kiss.

"Go sit down where you will in my room. And close your eyes."

Rocinante's brow rose at that, but he smiled at the fact that Law appeared to be embarrassed. Instead of teasing the other man further, Rocinante complied with the request. Thankfully without tripping on anything on the way up the stairs to the surgeon’s room. But Rocinante did make sure that he held on to the railings. It wouldn’t surprise him at all if he fell, and supposed that was why the surgeon was either in front of or behind him when they went to and from his room. Rocinante entered Law's room and sat down on the edge of the bed, and after a brief moment of hesitation, closed his eyes.

"Don't open your eyes, Cora."

"I won't." Rocinante wondered what Law was up to until he felt the surgeon put something over his head. It felt…almost familiar. Rocinante's eyes flew open and he gave Law a confused look after taking a peek at what had been put on his head.

"Didn't you throw out my hood in the hospital?" Rocinante asked as he toyed with the hearts. It certainly looked an awful lot like the one he had had before.

"I…had another one made." Law said as he averted his gaze briefly. "The nurses and assistants at the hospital helped me with it."

"You liked it?" Rocinante was puzzled, and even more so when Law overcame whatever it was that had been bothering him, as the surgeon had smirked in return.

"Yes, because then I can do _this_." Law emphasized the last word as he gripped the straps of the hood and tugged on them to bring Rocinante closer in order to kiss the blond.

Rocinante paused for a moment before he reached up to trail his hands through Law's hair as he indulged in the kiss. Though the blond haired officer honestly hadn't expected Law to suddenly shove him backward onto the bed as he did after he'd broken the kiss. It had been unexpected. Rocinante was flustered as he sprawled out on his back, incredibly self-conscious of the way that the surgeon looked down at him now. It was a calculating gaze, as if Law were thinking about what he was going to do next.

"Law?" Rocinante wasn't sure what it was that the surgeon was thinking about doing, but the blond had a feeling that he was about to find out.


	18. Chapter 18

Rocinante was enjoying this new attention that Law was paying attention to him with. It was nice that the dark haired surgeon was less hesitant about touching him, if the way Law was running his hands over his shoulders was any indication. Rocinante slid his hands up along Law's side and beneath his shirt, though he paused when he felt the other man tense.

Law seemed to hesitate for a moment before he went back to what he was doing. Kissing and gripping Rocinante's shoulders as he leaned over him.

"Is it all right for me to do this?" Rocinante asked softly as he trailed his hands along Law's skin.

"…yes." Law said in between kisses, before he started to leave a trail of kisses along the blond haired man's throat. Rocinante bit back a soft sigh of pleasure at the more intimate gestures and tilted his head back as he moved his hands away from the dark haired surgeon. Rocinante felt Law slide his own hands down to trail them over his chest lightly, before the surgeon tugged Rocinante's sweater up slightly in order to lay kisses along his stomach.

"Law." Rocinante squirmed on the bed at the unexpectedly light caresses that soon joined the kisses, and wondered where in the heck this had all come from. Law had been so wary and hesitant a week ago, so what had prompted the change? Rocinante lifted one hand to tangle in Law's hair lightly at the sensation of the other teasing his bellybutton with his tongue. No, _really_ , Rocinante was very curious where this was all coming from. He liked it, but at the same time felt that it was a little odd. But the blond haired man did notice that Law had been oddly serious lately as if he had something on his mind.

"Stop moving around so much, Cora." Law murmured as he continued to do what he was doing, and didn't break his attentions as Rocinante's hand dropped from his hair to grip one of his hands.

Rocinante smiled at the sensation of Law linking their fingers together and gave his hand a squeeze. The blond was too content to do much else other then let out a happy little sigh as he allowed Law to do whatever it was that he was doing. Rocinante did wonder if the books that Law had been reading had anything to do with this. Because the surgeon certainly seemed to be focused on his reactions, as Law adjusted what he was doing according to how he responded to it. Which was flattering, in a way, even if Rocinante was slightly embarrassed that he'd made Law read books about... _this_...so that he could try and please him...

The blond haired officer made the mistake to peek down at Law as doing, and found that the other man's eyes were on his, and watching his reactions in a calculating way. Rocinante closed his eyes briefly at the sight of Law smirking at him and shifted as the surgeon leaned over him to kiss the side of his neck once more.

Law lightly ran his free hand up beneath the blond's sweater again.

That was when there was a friendly twitch, and that was enough of a sign for Rocinante to feel that he had to stop things. Mainly because he realized that he was a little more turned on than he had been previous times that they had done this, and wasn't sure what Law would think to see the results of his touch. Law might even leave the room, and Rocinante really wanted to be able to at least cuddle with the dark haired man before he had to go home. Unless he could stay overnight. Then there'd be plenty of time to enjoy the surgeon's company. At a nip against the side of his throat, Rocinante took a breath and spoke, though he sounded a little breathless.

"Law, I need to-"

"Go to the bathroom?" Law cut in as he rested his free hand on Rocinante's bare stomach. He'd crumpled the sweater up to that point for easier access. The surgeon tilted his head down and glanced down along the blond haired officer's body and to his waist. "Are you going to go take care of _that_?"

Rocinante squirmed again. He was speechless that Law pointed out his none too subtle erection like it wasn't that big of a deal. Law even wore an interested look, as if he were simply intrigued by the fact that he had caused it, and said as much.

"It would be rude of me to make you keep taking care of it on your own when I am the one who caused it." Law's voice had taken on a lower tone as his gaze creeped back up to Rocinante's face. Law raised a brow at the fact that the blond was almost hyperventilating at this point. "Are you all right? I don't have to give you CPR, do I?"

"No, I'm fine." Rocinante managed to say, even if his voice were a little strained. He almost wanted to take Law up on the CPR offer, if only because he was curious if the surgeon was actually offering to kiss him breathless. Which he wouldn't mind. In fact, he'd like it quite a bit. At another friendly twitch, Rocinante promptly remembered his too tight pants. The blond haired man looked off to the side as he fidgeted awkwardly with the way Law loomed over him. "You don't have to worry about it, I'm fine." Rocinante mumbled, although he loved the way that the dark haired surgeon looked at him right now. It was with an almost haughty air that Law stared down at him with, the surgeon's fingers tracing in circles along the blond's stomach.

"I've been reading a lot about sex lately." Law said in a matter of fact tone. "I even tried out some of the information I came across on myself to see what yielded the best results. I'm not really sure about the actual act of sex as of yet, but for now I can take care of _that_ for you while I try to figure it out."

He was going to what now? Rocinante was going to protest because really, if Law hadn't even begun to try and feel him up until that moment, how did he think that he could...

"L…Law." Rocinante stuttered as the other man wasted no time in removing his pants, as if Rocinante's previous blush at the offer had been the sign to do so. Rocinante was surprised at how bold Law suddenly was, even if he still wore a clinically detached expression, as if he'd found something to do to use the information he'd come across.

Looking down and catching sight of his quite clear erection made Rocinante feel embarrassed for Law, mainly because he was sure that the other man was embarrassed as well beneath the aloof, 'let-me-take-care-of-that-for-you' expression. Rocinante squirmed as there was suddenly movement and closed his eyes again. Oh, damn, Law certainly seemed to have found some kind of confidence with the way he had just gone and grabbed his cock like that without a trace of embarrassment. Rocinante was also fairly sure that the surgeon was actively staring down there as if to make sure that each movement of his hand he made was correct in some way that he had read about and…

"Is this okay, Cora?"

Rocinante let his head drop back onto the bed as he made a half moan, half mumble of assent, and in return, Law became surer in his hand’s movement. If Rocinante hadn't been aroused before, he most certainly was now because after so many months of little skin to skin contact this was more than the blond figured that Law would have been able to handle at first. And the way he acted as if he'd done this often pointed to the fact that he must have done a lot of 'research' over the past week. It was clear that Law was not comfortable yet with the idea of sex, but this was more than Rocinante could have hoped for, and he really hoped that Law was actually comfortable doing this…

"You seem to be enjoying this, Cora."

Rocinante's eyes slit open, and he realized with a jolt that Law had been staring at his face the entire time while he made those devious motions with his hands, based on what reactions he saw. Rocinante promptly closed his eyes again as a helpless sound escaped him, though he felt Law shift and let go of him with one of his hands to tangle it in his hair. Rocinante allowed his head to be turned to one side and made a happy sound into the kiss that soon followed. The blond haired man shifted again when he realized that Law's other hand had not yet stopped its ministrations on his dick, but the kiss distracted him for the moment. Rocinante felt that it was more heated than before, and it involved a lot if tongue, which hadn't happened since he'd been in the hospital. Rocinante really did moan this time into the dark haired surgeon's mouth and that only seemed to encourage Law.

"...Law..." Rocinante didn't last much longer after that, because Law seemed intent on holding the promise to 'take care' of his erection. The blond ended up limp on the bed on his back, sated and breathing heavily as he felt Law move away for a moment, before he felt the sensation of the dark haired man leaning over him. Or maybe it was because he noticed that Law's hands were on either side of his head. Rocinante opened his eyes and saw the surgeon as he rested forehead to forehead with him. The two made eye contact, but Rocinante couldn't find any words and could only smile at him. Law drew back a bit to smirk back at him, clearly pleased with himself for some reason or another.

"I might not be ready for some things, but I think I can handle this." Law's smirk deepened. "And you keep telling me that I'm cute, but I think that applies to you as well when you act like this."

"…I got your sheets dirty." Rocinante said automatically, his brain not really able to comprehend much else other than that. And the fact that Law had just given him a hand job. He wouldn't be forgetting that in a hurry.

"I'll clean it up." Law said, clearly amused by the other's lack of words. Then, in a slightly uncertain tone, added. "Was that all right?"

"...yes..." Rocinante responded with a happy sigh.

"Good."

Rocinante smiled at that blunt response, as if Law were embarrassed about something, and had no problem lying where he was as he waited for Law to go about tidying the bed. The blond haired man did roll off of it after Law poked him, and Rocinante took that lull as an opportunity to slink off to the bathroom to clean up. At this point Rocinante would have been mortified if the surgeon had suggested that he should do that for him as well. But it seemed as if he didn’t have to worry about that because Law did not seem to be aroused in the least bit after what he’d done.

"The bed's sheets are changed." Law said, and his voice was back to normal.

Rocinante collapsed back onto the bed at Law's words, still sated from the earlier activity. The blond haired man happily snuggled up to Law when the surgeon got onto the bed as well to curl up against him. Rocinante draped his arm over the other's waist and enjoyed a half hour of cuddling with a still rather pleased Law.

At least until the surgeon realized what he'd done and, steadily getting red in the face, hastily excused himself out of his own bedroom to go check that he'd turned off the stove.

Rocinante waited until Law was out of the room before he grinned into the nearest pillow, elated. He really loved Law, and hoped the other man felt the same, no matter what happened between them, or how awkward some things could be for a time.

-x-

Law woke up feeling warm and drowsy, and his sleepy mind wondered why that was when he remembered that he had fallen asleep on the ground in the living room. He'd been thinking too much about what he'd just done to Rocinante to really think about going back to his room to sleep the rest of the night.

Something warm shifted next to the dark haired surgeon, and Law merely readjusted so that he could get more of that warmth. Although the more he began to wake up, the more Law realized that he wasn't lying on the carpet anymore. He was back on something soft, likely a bed, which meant that the warmth he was curled up to was…

"Good morning, Law."

Law stilled as he felt an arm drape over his waist to hold him closer to the heat, and the surgeon realized that it was Rocinante himself that was the source of that warmth. Law twitched as he felt the blond kiss his nose lightly, before bumping foreheads with him. And Rocinante remained that way as he spoke in an amused tone.

"Do you always tire yourself out like that when you're embarrassed about something?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Cora." Law did, but he wasn't going to admit it aloud, and he was sure that Rocinante knew it, because the other man merely settled close and hugged him snugly.

And kissed him again.

Law turned his head to try and join in, but Rocinante merely continued to smile and nosed along the side of the surgeon's throat. Law wondered if the blond was trying to get him to admit that his cleaning spree and later exhaustion was because of his earlier actions, but the dark haired man was stubborn and refused to admit it, no matter what.

"About last night…did you really learn all that from a book?" Rocinante kissed Law between jaw and ear, which drew forth a small gasp. "Where can I find it?"

"Do you have to work today?" Law asked evasively. He would have said that yes, he'd learned most of what he'd done from books and experimenting, as he had admitted the night before. But he was distracted by the feather light kisses to really form coherent sentences at present. Law tried not to think too much about Rocinante's reactions to his touch, or he to the blond's, because the surgeon wasn't ready to think about that until the other man wasn't around. He needed a rational mind to ponder those kind of things.

"Not unless I get called in. And if you don't remember, you said the same for your schedule today." Rocinante said softly as he nuzzled his face into the crook of Law's neck and breathed out. "So I can cuddle with you all morning, if you would let me."

"…I do recall saying something like that." Law hedged, mainly because he was fairly certain that he had made mention of his schedule, though trying to get dinner ready and the house ready had taken up most of his thoughts. Law still wasn't sure about the previous night, but his uncertainties were lessened by the fact that Rocinante was as happy as ever to be in his presence. But for Rocinante to admit that he wanted to 'cuddle' was a bit...

"Law?" Rocinante's voice had dropped to a whisper against the side of his throat.

"Hm?" Law shifted so that he was more comfortable on his back as Rocinante held him in a loose hug. "What is it?" Law twitched as the blond leaned back to peck him on the cheek, before Rocinante offered a gentle smile.

"I love you."

Law averted his gaze as Rocinante slowly encroached on his personal space until he was up against Law's side.

There was a short silence, before the blond haired officer spoke again.

"I don't mind how long you take to figure things out." Rocinante was obviously referring to the previous night as he nuzzled along the side of Law's throat again. "You did make me very happy, Law, but you didn't have to do that if you weren't comfortable with it."

"It was fine." Law said shortly as he relaxed a little. "If I didn't let my mind catch up to me, I was fine." The surgeon hesitated for a moment, before he decided to answer one of Rocinante's earlier questions. "I did learn most of what I did from books, although I did make some improvisations. Like looking at your face instead of your-"

"L…Law." Rocinante stuttered as the cut the surgeon off. "How can you talk about that in such a calm way?"

"Law?" Their nice, relaxing atmosphere was broken as Shachi called from the other side of the bedroom door. "Did you two finally do it? Is that why you were passed out in the living room earlier and your officer had to go bring you back to your room?"

"Go away, Shachi!" Law said in a raised voice, even though he couldn't hide the embarrassment that seeped into his words.

"I guess not, but you must have done something for you to go on a cleaning rampage like that."

"Shachi!"

"Ok, ok, I'm going."

Law realized belatedly that he had lifted himself up via bracing his hands on Rocinante's chest. After the dark haired surgeon glanced down and saw the other man's smile, he wasn't quite sure what to do. So Law settled for staring at Rocinante instead as he waited for him to do something.

"Having trouble?" Rocinante asked in amusement, before he reached up and gently tugged Law's arms so that the dark hared surgeon collapsed against his chest, which brought them nearly face to face in the process. Rocinante immediately took advantage of this to kiss him on the cheek.

"C…Cora." Law wondered if it was a plan between his roommates and Rocinante to see just how much they could embarrass him. But any further protest died down as Law felt Rocinante's fingers dig into the stiff muscles in his shoulders. The dark haired surgeon settled heavily against the other man's chest and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the muscles being worked on. Law let out a faint sigh. "Hmmn. Where did you learn to do massages?"

"Someone in the office suggested it since there are high level stressors in the police station more often than not." Rocinante responded absently as he moved his fingers along. "I just learned a little because not a lot of the staff bothered to do so."

The atmosphere in the bedroom became relaxed again as Law was lulled into a light doze by Rocinante's impromptu massage, and the warmth coming from the other man. Law heard Rocinante say something, but ended up falling back asleep instead, though he was calmer than he had been since the previous night.

Law was unaware that Rocinante merely turned over on the bed with him and snuggled up against the dark haired surgeon before he too dozed off to sleep part of the morning away.


	19. Chapter 19

Law wasn't quite sure what to make of Rocinante's tendency to set himself on fire. It was rather peculiar, as there was usually no reason that the blond should get caught on fire in the first place.

"What have I told you about my kitchen, Cora?" Law asked as he set aside the fire extinguisher and fixed Rocinante with a half amused, half exasperated look.

"I'm sorry. I thought the microwave would be all right. I didn't realize that it would, well..."

"...set things on fire?" Law couldn't believe it, but the proof was staring him in the face, as well as the fact that he had needed to grab the fire extinguisher in the first place. Rocinante had somehow managed to set not only his shoulder on fire, but part of the kitchen as well. Despite the fact that the dark haired surgeon had told the blond haired officer that he was banned from the kitchen.

"It looks like nothing major was damaged, but..." Rocinante broke off as he allowed Law to lead him out the back door. "I'm sorry."

Behind them, Penguin and Shachi finished putting out the fire.

"Stay here." Law said firmly as he steered Rocinante over to a chair on the patio. The surgeon waited until the other man had silently done as he was told before Law turned away and went back into the house. He shook his head wordlessly at his roommates as he went and retrieved the first aid kit that he'd replaced in the bathroom. Law stared at the kit in his hands, and decided that a few burns were not as bad as that stab wound that the blond had received this past winter when Law had found Rocinante passed out in the snow.

"Is he okay?" Penguin asked as Law emerged from the bathroom with kit in tow.

"Just a few burns, nothing major." Law said vaguely, his mind still on that winter night that seemed like ages ago. "I did tell him to stay out of the kitchen, because he's a disaster in there."

Penguin silently turned to look at the slightly singed counters and cabinets around the microwave.

Law passed by his roommate quietly as he went out the back door to his patio where he'd left Rocinante. The surgeon came to an abrupt halt as he found the blond haired man flailing on the ground with a cigarette in one hand and his opposite shoulder on fire, apparently from the lighter.

"Cora!"

Rocinante managed to beat out the sudden blaze and smoked away at his cigarette as he pointedly avoided eye contact, clearly embarrassed that Law had caught him.

Law merely gave his head a shake as he indicated silently that the blond should remove his singed clothing.

"Sorry." It was the only discernable word from the blond haired officer's mumbles as he carefully shrugged out of his shirt, and continued to smoke. At the very least, he managed to not set the removed clothing on fire.

Law pretended that his gaze didn't linger over Rocinante's scarred body as he treated the minor burns.

After the burns had been taken care of, Rocinante tilted his head to peck Law lightly on the cheek in thanks, even if he still wore a rather sheepish expression about what had happened. The blond haired man stood up, about to say something else, when he tripped over his own feet and somehow managed to light his pants on fire with his still burning cigarette.

Law stared at the sight before he went to help Rocinante as he shook his head yet again. The dark haired surgeon realized that he really did love this clumsy fool despite some of his rather hazardous flaws involving fire. The clumsiness he had grown accustomed to.

"Are you going to be all right, Cora?"

"Yes, don't worry about it. Happens all the time."

Law raised a brow at that matter of fact statement but said nothing as he turned away. The surgeon went back into his house in search of some clothing for Rocinante as the blond trailed along after him. How one caught on fire at random was a mystery, especially given the fact that Rocinante somehow managed to seem to do it without any conscious effort on his part.

At the very least there were no further incidents the rest of the day, although Law was sure that it was because Rocinante was content to curl up on the couch with him to converse for a while before he had to go in to work later on.


	20. Chapter 20

After an incredibly stressful day at the hospital, Law thought that it would be a good idea to get some fresh air. There were only so many times that he could go home and hole up in his room, and that really didn't seem to help lessen his stress levels. So Law decided to go to the park after his shift was over with, and the refreshing walk around the park did wonders to clear his mind. Law ended his walk near the lake as he sat down and leaned up against a tree, his eyes closed.

Law was uncertain how long he remained there with his back against the tree when he became aware of a shadow that fell over him. The dark haired surgeon quickly peeked out of the corner of his eye to see who it was, before he settled against the tree again and let out a slow sigh.

Rocinante.

Funny that the man always seemed to figure out where he was.

Law had expected Rocinante to say something, but he only heard the blond haired officer settle on the ground near him. The dark haired surgeon's lips quirked up into a faint smile when he realized that the other man seemed content to just sit there with him in silence.

Time passed by lazily, and Law felt content for the first time in a long while. The surgeries that he had performed that day had been incredibly difficult, and it hadn't helped that one of the patient's families had been difficult to deal with. Law sighed. It wasn't his fault that the surgery was so expensive because it was a very detailed one and it had to be done with extra care and if there was even one thing out of place something could have gone very wrong.

"Is everything all right?" A hand slid into the dark haired surgeon's some time later. "You've been sitting here for over an hour."

"...it was a stressful day at work." Law responded at length.

"Hm." Rocinante let go of Law's hand to pat his shoulder before he stood up. "What were you doing here?" There was a pause, before the blond added in a teasing tone. "You look as if you were about to fall asleep."

"I was just thinking." Law said, though whatever else he was going to say was lost to him as a splash sounded. The surgeon's eyes flew open as he half rose from his seated posture. "Cora!"

"I'm fine." Rocinante came out of the lake sopping wet and offered Law a rueful smile. "I just...lost my balance."

Not a big surprise there.

"How did you even do that?" Law asked in exasperation.

"Aren't you wondering why I came looking for you?" Rocinante asked as he ignored the fact that he had fallen into the pond.

Law gave the other man a searching gaze, but said nothing as he tried and failed to fathom how someone could over balance into a body of water.

"I wanted to see you."

"What?" Law asked, a little confused. "You could have called me." The dark haired surgeon let out a disgruntled sound as Rocinante invaded his personal space to give him a kiss on the cheek. Unfortunately Law had lost his own balance, and since Rocinante had bumped into him, the blond took them both down and straight into the lake.

Law surfaced and shoved Rocinante away, though he couldn't help but smirk at the other man's embarrassed expression. Law felt better, even if this impromptu dip in the lake meant that he'd have to go home to change clothes.

And take a shower first.

"I thought that...the water might help you clear your mind?" The blond haired officer said awkwardly, looking uncertain about what had just happened.

"It certainly woke me up." Law said in return. It helped that Rocinante joked about it, like he'd meant to do something silly when in fact he'd really just been overly clumsy. Law shook his head and kissed Rocinante on the nose before getting out of the water. The dark haired surgeon didn't even blink at the stares they received, as Law was far more amused that Rocinante appeared to be sorry that he'd knocked them both into the water.

But the little diversion had worked, because along with the fresh air, Law felt much better than he had before. The surgeon felt like he could go back to the hospital and take on new challenges.

The kiss back in his home helped drastically improve Law's mood as well, much to Rocinante's pleasure.


	21. Chapter 21

Rocinante wasn't smiling.

That fact struck Law about halfway through their lunch and the surgeon noticed that not only wasn't the blond haired man smiling, but he also appeared to be troubled by something. Rocinante certainly wasn't as engaged in their conversation as he normally would have been. Law was quieter during the rest of their meal as he mused over how to best approach the subject. They'd often spoken to one another about troubles at work but Law noticed that he was the one who often unloaded on Rocinante and was in turn comforted by the blond haired officer. Law was so focused on what he was thinking about that he didn't even realize that the other man had just paid their bill.

"Ready to go, Law?"

The dark haired surgeon nodded absently as he pondered a few ways to figure out what was wrong. Law followed after Rocinante out of the restaurant and trailed along after the blond haired officer, his thoughts elsewhere. But as soon as Law realized that it was taking longer then usual to get back home, the surgeon looked up and found that they were outside an apartment.

Not his house.

"I feel bad about bothering your roommates all the time." Rocinante glanced over his shoulder at Law anxiously. "Are you all right coming here?"

Law nodded, a little mystified. He might not have comfortable going to the officer's home earlier in their relationship but he wasn't opposed to going there now. Law believed the nod he'd given must have been sufficient because it made Rocinante look less worried.

But the other man still wasn't smiling, and Law didn't like that.

The walk to the elevator and then down a hall to Rocinante's apartment door was made in silence as Law continued to think about what to do with the blond's slightly down demeanor.

"You want something to drink?" Rocinante asked vaguely as he closed the door. When the blond haired officer turned around he found Law suddenly standing there. "Law?"

"Are you all right, Cora?" Law decided to get straight to the point. "You're not yourself."  There wasn't any use trying to figure out how to make things right if he didn't have the faintest notion of what was wrong.

"I have another assignment that I'm going to be working on." Rocinante admitted at length as he sat down on one of his living room chairs as he fidgeted a little.

"And that's a bad thing?" Law asked as he remained where he was.

"I would have to be out of the city for about a month and a half." Rocinante responded, and it seemed as if he were horrified by the concept.

"You could still call me." Law pointed out, not seeing what the problem was. The blond haired officer had work, so he should focus on it and not him.

"You won't get lonely?" Rocinante asked after a moment of silence.

"I would have my roommates around and be surrounded by people in the hospital." Law said as he stepped over to the chair that Rocinante was seated on. "And I could talk to you on the phone."

"I'd get lonelier after I'd get off the phone with you." The blond admitted softly before he suddenly reached up and pulled Law onto his lap to wrap him in a hug.

"It's only for a month and a half, isn't it?" Law asked as he hesitantly looped one arm around Rocinante's back. After a moment's thought, he leaned up and rested his head against the other man's shoulder. The dark haired surgeon felt the blond nuzzle along the side of his neck absently.

"Yes...but talking to you on the phone wouldn't be the same as this." Rocinante said as he settled his arms around Law more securely.  "I want to be able to hold you."

"You can do that all you want when you return.  I'll still be here when you got back." Law said with a smirk. "It isn't like I will run away. I have my job at the hospital, you know." When Rocinante didn't respond, Law finally seemed to realize that that was the problem right there. That perhaps the other man thought he would be disinterested in being with him if they were apart for nearly two months. Like the three months they had been broken up before they'd gotten back together.

"You might forget to eat." Rocinante said, his voice even fainter.  It was clear that he was running out of ideas to talk himself out of following through with his work.

"Then call and tell me to eat if it would make you feel better." Law said as he freed himself from Rocinante's death grip to put a hand to either side of the blond's head so that they'd look one another in the eye. "Is that what is wrong? Do you think that I will leave you over something you have to do for your job?" Law leaned forward and kissed Rocinante, and he felt that it was the right thing to do because the other man relaxed a bit and made a happy little sigh into the kiss.

"You're hard to figure out." Rocinante said after the kiss had ended and Law was resting comfortably on his lap, the surgeon's head against his shoulder once more. Rocinante trailed one hand slowly along Law's back. "And some of those nurses seem awfully fond of you at the hospital..."

"I am not going to date anyone while you're gone, Cora. You know that I'm not interested in that kind of thing with anyone else in any case." Law reached over and squeezed Rocinante's closest hand. "I'm only interested in being with you." The air was driven out of the surgeon's body at those words as Rocinante squeezed him in a tight hug and tipped them sideways onto the couch to cuddle.

"Feel better?" Law wheezed after Rocinante had loosened his grasp.

"Yes." Rocinante murmured happily.

Law could imagine the way the other man was smiling and felt that it was good to get that little misunderstanding out of the way. And as for Rocinante being gone for a month and a half with only phone communication? Law figured he would be quite all right. He couldn't expect Rocinante to see him all of the time in person when he too had a job that required he make himself available to do whatever was needed. Law understood that quite well for his occupation at the hospital.

-x-

Three days later and the dark haired surgeon realized that he was very wrong about being able to cope without Rocinante readily available to see in person. It didn't help that Law's soon to be new patient in the hospital the next day was going to come back to haunt him as Luffy did.

And the new patient's intentions were not as innocent as Luffy's were.

-x-

Law couldn't believe that he'd run into another person as equally as aggravating as Luffy, although in an entirely different way. The dark haired surgeon had had no idea that as soon as the unconscious patient that he'd treated had woken up, that he would immediately start to complain about being in a hospital in the first place. Law had done what he normally did in those circumstances and told the man off in a heavily sarcastic way. It unfortunately didn't work, and only seemed to encourage the younger man to kick up a fuss. So not only did Law have to see the red head until he was discharged from the hospital, with varying degrees of confrontations along the way, but now the man had found him outside of the hospital.

And the red head wasn't leaving him alone.

"Come on doc, why the hell did you flip me off just now?"

Law turned his eyes to his new source of irritation, one Eustass Kidd. The surgeon promptly went back to his drink at the restaurant he'd gone to for lunch that day. It seemed that Law had the unfortunate knack of having some patients, or relatives of the patients he'd operated on, continue to show up in his life after he'd finished checking in on their progress after surgery.

"You sure were snarky in the hospital yesterday. What gives?" The red head persisted, not quite in Law's personal space, but certainly close enough that it was clear that the surgeon wasn't pleased by the intrusion into his meal.

"I was only pointing out that if you were fool enough to leave the hospital without giving yourself time to rest, that those stitches would tear." Law raised his eyes to meet the other man's amber gaze. "And I would not be the one to stitch you back up if you were foolish enough not to listen to sound reason."

"That's a little better. Being all quiet seems kinda strange for you." Kidd appeared to be smug now that he'd gotten the other man to speak to him.

"You know nothing of me to be able to say that." Law said as he sipped his drink. Really, why did this keep happening to him?

"You're a surgeon." Kidd pointed out, as if that counted.

"That's common knowledge." Law felt that it really was, since he tended to stay within a radius of the city that was near his home and the hospital. Most people tended to recognize Law, but most weren't about to harass him if they didn't know him.

"Uh-huh, but there's something else." Kidd said, and he sounded amused, like he found Law's defensiveness entertaining.

"And what would that be?" Law said, as he attempted to tune the other man out and failed.

"I dunno, there's something else, but there's also the fact that you look like you want to kill me now." Kidd said, and he didn't seem to be too put off by the idea. "Why's that? You get violent when people try to talk to you outside of work or something?"

"Perhaps it is just that I would like for you to leave me alone." Law said in response as he again lifted his gaze to give Kidd an irritated look. "Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?"

"Not really. And you seem like an interesting guy, doc." Kidd reached out and tapped the back of Law's nearest hand. He laughed when the dark haired surgeon turned the limb over to bat his hand away. "Nice tats. Where'd you get them done?"

"Not anywhere around here." Law said dismissively, as he hoped that the red head would take a hint and leave him alone already. "Why does it matter?"

"I just never heard of a surgeon gettin' tattoos." Kidd grinned again at Law. "You gonna get any more, or do you have some that I can't see?" Kidd looked Law up and down from where he was seated. "I bet you do."

"Wouldn't you like to know." Law said listlessly in return.

"You're no fun." The red head nearly whined, before he seemed to brighten at something as he dug around in a pocket and produced a business card of some sort.

"And what is that?" Law asked as he eyed the card with something akin to distaste, mainly because it was Kidd that was holding it.

"Don't be so suspicious." Kidd said as he set the card down on the table in front of the surgeon. "It's just a local tattoo parlor. In case you ever want to get more done." Kidd pointedly looked at the 'death' tattoos on the back of Law's fingers, and what he could see of the ones on his forearms. "You can even look the place up if you want to. It's got good prices and a good rep. Some other places around here charge high and do shit work that takes forever to fix."

"I'll think about it." Law said, though inwardly he wondered at the coincidence. The surgeon had been thinking of getting another tattoo, perhaps a few, and doing so while Rocinante was out of town would make it easier. His skin would be sore and Law wouldn't want to be enveloped in a hug because he was fairly certain that it would hurt and that the blond haired officer would think that he'd hurt him.

"If you do go to get some tats, let me know." Kidd commented as he walked past Law, before he suddenly whapped him on the shoulder. "You should lighten up, you know. It's kinda creepy to see a surgeon look like they want to kill someone." The red head laughed and dodged the incoming swat as he made his way out the restaurant door, one hand raised in a lazy wave. "See ya around, doc."

Law sat with his drink glumly, but before he left an hour later, he did pocket the card that Kidd had left behind. If only because he did want to get some new tattoos. The tattoo parlor that had been suggested was worth considering, even if Law didn't particularly like that Kidd had been the one to give him the name and number of the place.


	22. Chapter 22

Law tried very hard not to smile when he noticed that he was getting a phone call from Rocinante. It was fortunate that he had just gone on his break.

It had been two days since the surgeon had last heard from the blond haired officer, which seemed like a much longer time than it actually was. Law excused himself into a more secluded area of the hospital for his break, only a little embarrassed at the fact that some of the nurses and assistants were smiling knowingly at him. Law just shut himself in the break room without a word, much to the amusement of his colleagues, and answered his still ringing phone. The dark haired surgeon could tell that Rocinante was happy the moment he picked up the call.

_ 'Hello, Law.' _

"Cora." Law said in return, unable to keep the smile out of his voice. The dark haired surgeon was a little self conscious of the fact that Rocinante noticed and pointed it out.

_ 'You were frowning before, weren't you? Do you miss me that much?'  _ The blond haired officer asked warmly, and it appeared as if he would love nothing more than if Law were happy just because he'd called him. When the surgeon didn't say anything, Rocinante's voice became a little down and quiet. _'I miss you.'_

"How is your work going?" Law asked as a way to avoid answering the question. Because the dark haired surgeon was fairly certain that he might be more sappy than he would like to sound. Law most certainly was not going to tell Rocinante that he had taken to sleeping with one of the blond's shirts in his bedroom. Law was going to take it with him to the grave that he occasionally cuddled with that same shirt when he slept. Law knew the first night he'd done that that he missed Rocinante more than he had initially believed he would.

Really, it was only going to be a month and a half that Rocinante would be gone. Not forever.

_ 'As well as can be expected with the information we've been given.'  _ Rocinante said, sounding a little evasive as he answered Law's question. As if he weren't supposed to actually be talking with Law about it. The blond haired officer changed topics almost immediately. _'Has anything interesting happened while I've been gone?'_

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Law said, although that wasn't entirely true. "Just some unruly patients that needed to be dealt with after some operations." Law wasn't about to tell Rocinante about Kidd just yet, because Law didn't want Rocinante to be worried over Kidd bothering him, as Law would prefer that the blond haired officer focus on his job, and not be distracted by something that Law felt that he could handle on his own.

_ 'You remembering to eat?'  _ Rocinante's voice became a little teasing.

"I have been eating. Shachi and Penguin have been badgering me to make certain that I do." Law let out a sigh. "And some of my coworkers as well."

_ 'That's good.'  _ Something could be heard in the background, and Rocinante spoke hastily not too long after. ' _I need to go. I'll call you later, Law.'_ Rocinante hesitated for a moment, before he spoke softly.  _'I love you.'_

The phone went dead.

Law pocketed his cell after he turned off the ringtone, and had to hide the genuinely happy smile he had on his face as he went about locating the food he'd brought with him from home. Since Rocinante had asked him, there was no reason to ignore his food since he had it.  The dark haired man had no idea that as soon as he returned home, Shachi was going to insist that he go bar hopping with him in the evening on his next day off. Since Law didn't exactly want to admit that he was thinking about getting more tattoos, and why, he had no reason to say no to his roommate.

-x-

The dark haired surgeon would have preferred to be looking into getting tattoos rather than being stuck in a bar with highly noisy people and some drunks that didn't understand the concept of personal space.

Law was rather cross with Shachi at the moment as he avoided being bumped into by someone on his way to the barstools. However, the surgeon couldn't exactly fault his roommate for wanting to help him to be less anti-social. Hence the reason why on his day off, the day that he'd planned on checking out the tattoo shop, Law was instead at this bar. That normally wouldn't bother him as much, but there was something in that particular bar that soon aggravated him. Law had noticed it as soon as he'd sat down on a barstool.

Eustass Kidd had just entered the bar, but to the surgeon's relief, the red head hadn't spotted him yet.

Law wanted to keep it that way, as he felt that he shouldn't bump into the red haired man very often. There was just something about Kidd that rubbed him the wrong way and-

"Hey, doc, didn't think you were one to drink."

Too late.

"Hey now, what's with that look?" With a grin, Kidd took the barstool nearest to the dark haired surgeon. "You should be happy if you're out for a drink. Even if you're just here get shitfaced. Why would you come otherwise?"

"I am here against my will." Law said blandly from the stool he was seated on. "One of my roommates has deemed it necessary to socialize me a little since I've not gone out for two weeks."

"So you _are_ a stiff bastard." Kidd cracked up at that as he waved the bartender down for a drink. "You look like you wanna kill someone. No wonder you were all cranky about me talking to you in the restaurant the other day. You don't let loose after work, do you?"

"Or perhaps it is because I do not usually interact with my patients after a surgery?" Law asked idly. He didn't bother to ask if Kidd were all right, because he had a feeling that the red head was going to pretend he hadn't been injured enough that he had needed to be operated on. Or be in the hospital in the first place. At least, that was the feeling that Law had managed to pick up through all the swearing and complaining while Kidd had been in recovery. "I do not have to go out to drink to 'loosen up'. I leave that to one of my roommates." Law said archly as he sipped his drink, and added, with a smirk. "I live vicariously through him so that I have a level head while I operate on patients, and no hangover to impede me." Shachi would probably get a kick out of that, but it was kind of true. Law was glad that his roommate was so happy all the time, even if Law didn't seem to like it with all the sarcasm he would pile on Shachi, depending on his mood.

"How the hell don't you crack if you don't drink or go socialize with other people?" Kidd swigged his drink with gusto, before he slid a sly glance the dark haired surgeon's way. "Do you at least get to sleep with the nurses at the hospital? That one that came to my room in the hospital was hot."

"It would be inappropriate to sleep with my coworkers." Law said dryly as he set his drink down on the tabletop before him. "And I have no need to release myself in that a manner. I hardly have the time for such a relationship."

"What? You're shittin' me, right? You aren't dating anyone?" Kidd looked nonplussed, his drink momentarily forgotten. "How the hell do you manage to do that? I think I'd go crazy if I didn't get someone in my bed at least once a week." Kidd paused. "Well...maybe twice a week."

"The same someone?" Law questioned. "Or several someones?" The surgeon didn't quite understand why Kidd was so shocked that he wasn't 'sleeping' with anyone. Well, Law slept with Rocinante, but that was different. Mainly because they were literally just sleeping in bed with Rocinante more often than not happily cuddling with him. Law doubted that was what the red head was implying right now.

"Wanna find out?" Kidd asked with a pronounced leer. "I don't have any plans tonight."

"I'll pass. I have a job that I need to focus on." Law said in return as he went back to his drink. The surgeon missed Kidd's clearly disappointed expression. "It keeps me quite busy, and I really don't have the time to devote that much attention to someone else." Other than Rocinante but that was different. It didn't even seem like Law was even dating the other man. Rocinante was just a part of his life now, and Law didn't feel the need to label it as dating. Even if it happened to be the same thing to other people, Law believed otherwise. Rocinante was Rocinante. Law doubted that he would be able to have the same relationship he now had with Rocinante with anyone else.

"You can't work all the time." Kidd pointed out as he waved a hand around. "You can come out to places like this like a normal person. Why can't you go out with someone?"

"I do meet up with someone for lunch and sometimes dinner." Law said. "And I meet elsewhere, such as the park. We go shopping on occasion and go to my house."

"So you _are_ seeing someone?" Kidd almost seemed put off by the thought. Disappointed, really.

Odd.

"In a sense." Law hedged, not exactly sure how to explain his relationship to Rocinante. At least in a way for Kidd to understand why he wasn't calling it 'dating'. Law was relieved when Shachi rescued him not a second later and dragged him off to another table with his drink. At the very least it ended the conversation with Kidd, although Law couldn't help but notice the surreptitious glances Kidd sent his way throughout the rest of the evening.

Law was relieved to leave the bar a few hours later, even though he missed the calculating look Kidd had on his face as he watched the surgeon leave.

-x-

A week later, Law looked up the tattoo parlor that Kidd had given him the information for previously. The surgeon had decided that he was going to begin the process of getting another, larger tattoo. Something bigger than he had gotten before. Law wanted to let Rocinante know in his own way how he felt about him, mainly because Law felt that Rocinante was still worried about him leaving for some reason. It sure seemed like it whenever Law spoke to the other man over the phone these past few weeks.

The dark haired surgeon went to take a look at the tattoo shop on his next day off, but Law hadn't expected to see a familiar face as soon as he walked through the front door.

"About time you decided to show up, doc. I was wondering if you were just bullshiting about getting more tattoos."

Law was immediately skeptical about being recommended this shop in the first place. Since a source of irritation named Eustass Kidd currently grinned at him from across the front desk of the small tattoo parlor he'd just walked in to.

"You know him, Kidd?" Someone out of view asked.

"Yeah, he'd the guy that stitched me up in the hospital." Kidd said, before he turned back to Law and the way that the dark haired surgeon was looking at him skeptically. "What?"

"Why are you here, exactly?" Law had a good idea, but he wanted the other man to admit it first.

"I work here part time." Kidd said. "I needed some extra cash and we get some interestin' people in here and-"

"Like people that sliced you up for thinking that you were charging them too much?" Another voice asked from the back of the shop. "The reason you had to go to the hospital in the first place? The reason I'm here babysitting you on my time off to make sure that it doesn't happen again?"

"Shut the hell up, Killer!" Kidd snapped as he moodily propped his head up on his arms. "It wasn't my fault that guy thought I was overcharging him." Kidd's expression went back to a grin. "He was the one who was shitfaced the night before and insisted on getting something like that tattooed on his body."

"Perhaps I'll come back another time. Unless you aren't busy?" Law asked lightly. He was rather fascinated to watch the way the red head went from angry to semi calm in an instant.

"You wanna get it here?" Kidd asked, straightening up.

"I did mention before that I wanted another tattoo. And you were right in saying that compared to other places, the rate here is decent." Law smirked. "As for the quality of the work? I'll reserve my judgment until after I get a tattoo before letting you know if you have a 'good rep' here."

"I could doodle something on you somewhere you wouldn't see." Kidd said offhandedly, although he didn't sound too offended. Instead, he seemed more entertained than anything. "What did you have in mind? You know that it can get pricy if there's..." The red head cut himself off as if just remembering that Law was well off. Kidd shook his head at the smug smirk the dark haired man had leveled at him. "You're kind of an asshole. You know that, right?"

"I know. That's why most people choose not to associate with me." Law said as he dug out a piece of paper from his pocket and stepped forward to hand it over to Kidd.

"How big of a tattoo were you thinking of?" Kidd asked as he looked the sheet of paper over and his smile grew at what was there. It was a heart.

Law indicated with his hands as he traced the overall size over his chest. "Something like this."

"Damn." Kidd said, almost appreciatively, as if he were impressed that the surgeon wanted such a big tattoo. "You'll have to come back a few times if you want that big of a tattoo."

"What, you aren't capable of doing it all at once?" Law asked, though he knew that that sounded about right. The tattoos on his forearms had taken two different visits, mainly because he couldn't sit through both of them at once.

"I ain't gonna marathon such a large tattoo. My fingers would probably fall off with the way you want it done." Kidd said in return, seeming a little annoyed with Law's statement, but at the same time not about to send him away either.

"Then I can start it today?"  Law questioned shortly.

"Yeah." Kidd looked the dark haired surgeon over before he leered at him. "You do know you need to take your shirt off, right?"

"I know." Law said, and without warning he whipped the shirt off and ran a hand through his hair and smirked at Kidd. "Can we get started already? I do have other things to take care of today." Law didn't notice the way Kidd had frozen in his seat or the way his eyes roved over the bare expanse of tanned skin like it was the most wonderful thing in the world.

At least until the elusive 'Killer' came into the room from the back and thwacked Kidd upside the head and told him to behave.

Law wasn't sure what Kidd had to do to 'behave' but decided it was the red head's own fault for whatever that had been about. The surgeon wasn't aware at the time that he had been the cause of it.

-x-

Law lie shirtless on his bed later that evening, his skin tender from the start of the tattoo. He didn't think that he was being impulsive by getting another tattoo. The surgeon did feel that it was the best way to convey to Rocinante how he felt. L aw was slightly confused when he didn't hear from Rocinante that day, or the day after. It was after a week and another inking at the tattoo parlor with Kidd that Law began to wonder if there was something wrong. And then Rocinante called the next day, sounding highly embarrassed and apologetic.

_ 'I'm sorry, Law. I slipped on something that was in the hallway where I was staying and apparently I hit my head harder than I thought. I was out for two days and then there was no call phone reception.' _

"This is a new number." Law stated, inwardly relieved that the other man was all right.  The surgeon said nothing of the fact that he was going to be sure to check Rocinante's head the moment the blond was in his presence to make doubly sure he was fine.

_ '...yes, it is. I set myself on fire accidently while lighting some torches for the night and the cell phone I'd had died a fiery death.' _

Of course it did; Law wasn't even sure why he was surprised.

_ 'Sorry.' _ Rocinante sounded as if he were appalled with himself for what had happened.

"It's fine. I do love you, clumsiness and all." Law said casually, because it sounded as if the blond haired officer needed some reassurance that he wasn't angry at him for destroying his phone unintentionally. And then Law realized what he said. So did Rocinante and he sounded like he'd started to cry and appeared to be very disappointed that he couldn't be there to hug the dark haired man because he loved him too.

Law hid from Shachi and Penguin the rest of the night, mortified that they'd catch him smiling like a fool after the phone call with Rocinante.


	23. Chapter 23

Rocinante was ecstatic for days after his call with Law that even those that had come with him on assignment noticed. The blond had merely done what he had to do for work, but would keep coming back to that call he had had with Law during any downtime. The call that had the dark haired surgeon tell him that he'd loved him, even though Rocinante was so very clumsy that the blond felt that he should be labeled a walking hazard. But at the very least, the worst that his colleagues had said was very tame.

"Looks like Corazon is in a real good mood."

"I wonder if it's a certain someone that's distracting him."

"Maybe that's why that building down the street caught fire the other day."

At that particular comment, the blond haired officer resolved to not get so close to fire; not even from his cigarettes. It never seemed to go too well when he happened upon it. But the building bursting into flames wasn't his fault.

Really, it wasn't.

-x-

Rocinante was in his hotel room another few days later as he waited to hear from someone else that had come with him on the investigation. It gave him time to play Law's words in his mind over and over, smiling happily over the simple fact that Law had been the one to say them. Rocinante was even happier about the fact that Law could admit love without being awkward about it. Well, at least not as much as the blond thought he might have. At the sound of a knock on his door, Rocinante ended up falling off the bed, the air driven out of him, as well as the thoughts about the surgeon.

There was a sigh on the other side of the door. "Did you fall over again, Rocinante?"

The blond used the bed to get himself back up to his knees before he responded, a little embarrassed. "Yes. Did you learn anything else, Sengoku?"

"I did. But to get the rest of the information, I'll need you to go undercover in the furthest part of town." There was a rustling sound as something was slid under the door. "The people in question are aware of who I am, so you should be cautious of what you say while there."

Rocinante carefully stood before he went to retrieve the piece of paper. He looked it over before he wondered if perhaps it would be better to just play mute. It would be a bit of a hassle, but there'd be more time for him to formulate his answers to questions he might be asked. Rocinante wouldn't want to give some important bit of information up unnecessarily. "Where will you be when I get back?"

"In your room here, if you'll open the door. My room was compromised. Someone was there while I was gone."

Rocinante hastily opened the door to the room to allow his superior in before he closed it.

Sengoku went into the room further but not before he'd tossed a bag to the other officer. "Here. Those clothes that you're wearing won't do for where you'll be going."

Rocinante opened the bag to take a look at the clothes before he sighed. The things he did for his job. As Rocinante went to change he hoped that Law would be fine. The blond was worried that something from his current assignment might follow him back home. Rocinante would have to make sure that Law would be safe, whether or not there was backlash from what he was up to.

-x-

Rocinante was exhausted after a few days of gathering information. It had been very difficult to play mute, and a few times the people he'd been spying on had nearly caught him in the act. While he was done with the job for the time being and away from anyone discovering what he'd really been up to, he had not been able to hand off the information he'd discovered to Sengoku. The senior officer had been called back to their city the day before to take care of something urgent that had cropped up. Rocinante considered calling Law, even though it had only been a day since he'd last talked to the dark haired surgeon.

The cell phone on the bedside table began to ring, and the blond reached over to answer it. Maybe it was Law, though Rocinante was the more likely of the two to make the phone call, unless the blond began to tease Law again about not calling him. Rocinante's stomach dropped as soon as he heard exactly who it was that he was now speaking to.

_ 'Hello, Roci.' _

Oh no. How had his brother found his new phone number? It was private too, so not just anyone could call it. Rocinante had a feeling he knew what the call would be about, although why Doflamingo waited for months to check in on him was debatable. Especially since the last time had been right before Rocinante had ended up in the hospital, nearly at death's door.

_ 'I know what you're up to.' _ Doflamingo's voice was cheerful, but there was an underlying note of menace. _'If you don't want something to happen to you or anyone else you know, you had better leave whatever it is that you've found behind.'_

Rocinante was momentarily speechless as he thought about the implications of Doflamingo's words, before he steadied himself and spoke. "I won't let you get away with what you've been doing. It doesn't matter that it isn't directly you yourself either." The blond haired officer hung up before Doflamingo could respond. But it was clear that that dismissal did not deter Doflamingo in the slightest, as a text appeared not too long after Rocinante had ended their call.

_ 'That's a shame. I might just have to find a way to change your mind.' _

Rocinante found that ominous, and he immediately called Law, to find that the dark haired surgeon was perfectly fine, if only a little irritated about something. It still made Rocinante wonder what might happen should he fail to heed his brother's words, but this new information that he had found would leave little doubt that Doflamingo had a hand in dealing in some illegal businesses. It would also connect his brother to the doctor that had been arrested for malpractice. Rocinante checked his phone after the call to Law to see what day it was and shifted uneasily on the bed.

There were still three and a half days to go before he could return home. It seemed such a long time from now, what with Doflamingo's none too subtle threat.

Rocinante resolved to call Law in the morning and in the evening the next few days until he returned home., just to be on the cautious.


	24. Chapter 24

Law went to the tattoo parlor over the course of two weeks for three visits total in order to get the heart tattoo on his chest done. And after the surgeon had heard that Rocinante had lost a phone due to it being set on fire, Law told Kidd to add some lines to the top of the heart on either side of it on the top to reach his shoulders to mimic the appearance of flames. Partially because the surgeon believed that he would be amused with Rocinante’s reaction to him incorporating that into a tattoo. The other reason that Law had done it was to confuse Kidd, because that was rather entertaining to witness. The red head couldn’t seem to figure out what Law wanted the additional lines for, but Kidd wasn’t about to complain. At least not too much.

“You just makin’ shit up just so you can come and see me?” Kidd asked as he waited for Law to remove his shirt.

The dark haired surgeon gave Kidd a look, before he removed the hoodie and settled back to allow the red head to work on the new addition to the tattoo. “I wouldn’t do that. I just thought of something I wanted to add to the tattoo.” Law smirked at Kidd. “Is that a problem?”

Kidd mumbled something under his breath, but didn’t reply as he sifted through his tools.

Law figured the lack of response was due to Killer being in the room. Despite being unable to see the long haired man’s eyes, Law figured that the blond was eying Kidd as if he expected the surgeon’s words to set him off. The dark haired surgeon did figure that Kidd had a short temper, from what he had seen of the red haired man so far, and the fact that he had landed himself in the hospital for an argument with a customer before.

There was a prolonged period of silence as Kidd finished what he was doing, and Law had to wonder about how Kidd had let his hand linger on his shoulder as he inspected the new addition to the tattoo. Kidd made some kind of satisfied grunt before he drew away. “I think I can finish it the next time, unless you come up with other shit for me to do.”

“Hm, perhaps I’ll have to think of something then, just to spite you. It’s not like you aren’t getting paid for the work.” Law said sarcastically as he got up from the chair. The surgeon let out an affronted sound as Kidd lightly slapped his ass as he passed him by.

“Shut the hell up and get out already.” Kidd didn’t say or do anything else, so Law did just that.

-x-

On his way home, Law wondered if Kidd were interested in him, and really hoped that he wasn’t. Law already had Rocinante and he really had no desire to ever date anyone else. Mainly because Law believed that he couldn’t be with anyone other than Rocinante. It was hard to explain his reasoning, so the surgeon dismissed the thought.

Once inside his home, Law decided that he wanted to talk to Rocinante, since neither of his roommates were home at the moment. Law fished out his cell phone and stared at it as if it would dial a number all on its own without his input. It didn’t, so Law, after a moment’s hesitation, dialed Rocinante’s number.

The conversation was pleasant, and it made the awkward encounter with Kidd go to the back of Law’s mind. At least until two days later, when Law decided that he ought to finish the tattoo up before Rocinante came back the next day.

-x-

Law did have one more thing for Kidd to add to the tattoo, but it was not out of spite on his part. The surgeon wanted it there after the conversation he’d previously had with Rocinante. The blond haired officer had sounded so excited to come back home , and Law had little doubt that Rocinante would immediately find an excuse to plaster himself to his side to cuddle with him for a whole day if he could manage it. That Law wouldn’t mind it in the least bit made the surgeon try and figure out exactly how he felt about Rocinante. And whether Law would be able to leave it at cuddling and perhaps kissing for much longer. And then the red head tattooing his chest had to open his mouth to distract Law from his very important thoughts.

“Seriously, why the hell do you want a smiley face there?” Kidd griped, as if he wanted to find something to bitch about as he made the outline of the new tattoo in any case. “Are you bullshitting me again?”

“Does it really matter what I get tattooed on my own skin so long as I’m paying you to do it?” Law asked mildly. “I am in my right mind, so you won’t have to worry about me coming back to get into a fight over prices over the tattoo on my body.”

“If you’re not gonna get into a fight with me…are you doing anything after this?” Kidd asked as he traced over the start of the new tattoo again.

“Other than go home? No.” Law wasn’t sure why Kidd would even care in any case.

“You wanna go get something for dinner then?” Kidd asked. “My shift’s over after I finish this smiley face that you better not give me hell for later.”

Law was going to say no, but he did realize that he hadn’t exactly had that much to eat that day. “I suppose that I do need to eat something.” Law wasn’t sure why Kidd looked so pleased about going to get dinner with him. But he’d fine out soon, and Law would be displeased that he’d been so oblivious.

-x-

The dinner was fine and so was the conversation, surprisingly enough. Law had thought that Kidd was an uncouth bastard that got into meaningless fights all the time, but it sounded as if he were actually smart. Law was honestly surprised to hear that Kidd had gone to college and now worked at a mechanic shop half his time in addition to the tattoo parlor. Although it sounded more like Kidd was teaching at the mechanic shop. Law wouldn’t have pegged Kidd as patient enough to explain anything to anyone without perhaps causing bodily harm.

Interesting conversation aside, Law didn’t like the way the rest of the night went down, as it went straight to something he’d been worried about before. That Kidd _was_ interested in him, and most unfortunately, Law was only interested in Rocinante in that way.

Whatever that way was. Even Law still wasn’t quite sure what the relationship was exactly.

The dark haired surgeon had stepped away from Kidd once they were outside and walking along the shops that lined the street. Law was at a loss of what more he could say to get Kidd to understand that he wasn’t interested in going out with him. “I told you before that I’m already with someone.” Law said, keeping his distance from Kidd, who was equally frustrated with him.

“But you said you haven’t, you know…” Kidd fell silent and gave his shoulders a shrug, which struck Law as funny that Kidd couldn’t say ‘have sex’ or whatever it was that he would have said.

“I’m not interested in any of that. Not right now, anyway.” Law said as he continued to keep a few steps ahead of Kidd.

“Damn, how the hell can anyone be so patient? How long you’ve been going out?” Kidd asked as he trailed after the dark haired surgeon.

Law did quick math in his head before he gave his response. “Nearly a year and a half.”

“Holy shit. And you haven’t done it yet?” Kidd sounded flabbergasted. Like he couldn’t fathom someone waiting that long. “Hell, man, there’s only so much time I could spend jacking off on my own.”

“Who says I do that at all in the meantime?” Law walked at a quicker pace to avoid Kidd and his attempt to close the distance between them. “I am not interested in dating anyone in any case.”

“But you’re with this other person?” Kidd sounded annoyed now, before Law’s other words caught up to him. “Wait a damn minute. You don’t even jack off by yourself?”

“No, I feel no need to do that.” Law said. “And it is different than dating.” The surgeon was relieved that Kidd had stopped following after him.

“How the hell is that different? You’re still dating then ,aren’t you?” Kidd didn’t say anything about Law’s lack of sexual drive, as if he couldn’t think of a comeback to it, as if it was a bizarre concept. The red head’s annoyance turned a little resentful, though Kidd still sounded slightly hopeful. “Well…if you ever get bored-“

“Not happening.” Law said over his shoulder. “I’m going home now. Why don’t you go find whoever it was that you said you took home once or twice a week?”

“Geez. Don’t be an asshole about it.” Kidd started to walk in the opposite direction. The red head’s parting shot was part disappointment and part exasperation. “See you around, doc.”

Law ignored Kidd, although he was a little angry with himself now because the other man had misinterpreted things. The dark haired surgeon didn’t realize that he had gone the wrong way home again and was now in the area of the city where potential muggers laid in wait for unwary passerby’s. Though if Law had been paying attention, he would have noticed that the area was eerily silent, and the muggers that were normally there were oddly absent that night.

The dark haired surgeon still made a call to Rocinante, because he’d realized the other man had tried to call him less than a half hour ago. Law didn’t realize that he was being watched as he made his way home, and that the surgeon really should have been paying attention to his surroundings.

-x-

Rocinante was pleased that he was getting to go home a day early, and was looking forward to seeing Law that much sooner. The blond haired officer was even happier when he noticed that his cell phone was ringing, and it was Law that was calling him. Rocinante answered with a smile. “Good evening, Law. I see that you know how to make calls after all. Did you miss me so much after our last phone call this morning that you needed to hear my voice again?”

‘ _Cora.’_ Law sounded faintly embarrassed, and it seemed like the surgeon wasn’t sure what he had been calling the blond for in the first place.

Rocinante made the decision then and there that he was going to surprise Law by arriving at his home in an hour or so. “I’m looking forward to being able to see you in person instead of over the phone.”

‘… _me too.’_ Law’s words were nearly inaudible.

Rocinante smiled at the quiet admission. “Do you remember what you were calling me about?” The blond haired officer found it adorable for Law to fumble over his words as he was currently doing, before he managed a coherent sentence.

‘ _Are you coming back tomorrow?_ ’ The surgeon sounded hopeful, and it seemed like something was bothering him, though he said nothing of it for the time being.

“I’ll be back soon.” Rocinante said in return. He did want to surprise Law, and it was probably a better idea than going home to his apartment, just in case Doflamingo had sent someone to watch for his return. Rocinante eyed his surroundings warily, as if expecting someone to be watching him right now, even though he had no evidence of it. Seeing as he was on a bus back to the city and it was only himself and the driver.

‘ _Are you going to work when you get back?_ ’ Law asked, breaking Rocinante out of his troubling thoughts.

“I was thinking that I would go see you first. Since I haven’t gotten to see you face to face for a month and a half.” Rocinante said. He decided not to tease Law too much, such as hinting that it was his intention to hug him and hold on for as long as the surgeon allowed him to. “If that’s all right with you to go to your house.”

_ ‘Yes.’ _ Law managed to say, though he said it in a way that he would have preferred the other man to be with him right now. _‘I’m walking home right now from the hospital. But I don’t work tomorrow, so I’ll be there.’_

Rocinante hoped that he could make it to the surgeon’s home first, but doubted it. “I’ll see you soon, Law.” With a few more softly exchanged words, the two of them hung up, and Rocinante settled back in the seat he was on. Even if he got to Law’s after the surgeon got home, the blond figured that he could always be let in by the other man’s roommates and go slip into bed with Law fast asleep to surprise him in the morning. Rocinante shook his head fondly at the very thought. It was unlikely to happen, since Law was a night owl most of the time. And a light sleeper, as the blond haired man had found out on some occasions. But Rocinante was sure that Law would be happy to see him, even if it didn’t seem like it some of the time. The blond decided that he would try and get Law to smile at least once when he got to the surgeon’s home.

The ride to the city only took another forty five more minutes, which wasn’t as long as the blond haired officer had anticipated. Rocinante was quietly excited to get to see Law that he didn’t even care that he tripped over his own feet as he got off of the bus.

-x-

Law had ended his call with Rocinante on a positive note, and pocketed his phone. He was relieved that the other man was coming back to the city the next day. Law realized, especially in the past week and a half, that he really, really wanted to see Rocinante, if only because he missed the other man so much. He even missed just sitting on a couch next to him and dozing off. Law just hoped that Rocinante would be more flattered than embarrassed about the tattoo he had gotten.

The surgeon glanced up to see how far away from home he was when he realized that he was not going the way he was used to. Law inwardly swore when he noticed that he had accidently gone the way home that he actively tried to avoid using. The place he currently was walking along was the area he had been more likely to be mugged in when he was all on his own in the past. Law might have made himself scarce instead of briefly pausing in his walk had he realized that he was being followed, but by the time he noticed something wrong, it was too late.

An arm suddenly looped itself around Law’s waist to crush him up against the body of his sudden attacker, and the surgeon immediately fought to get that arm away from him so that he could make a run for it. Sudden thoughts of the thugs that had cornered him the last time surfaced, and Law fought harder to get away.  At least, that was the plan, until something was forced over his mouth and nose not a moment later, which caused Law to gasp as a sly voice spoke directly next to his ear.

“As a doctor, I’m sure you know what this is.” There was a low laugh as the speaker held on tight, refusing to let Law free himself. “Be a good brat and don’t struggle too much.”

The voice registered in Law’s mind as he futilely attempted to not breathe in any more of the fumes. But it was useless, as he’d already taken in a few breaths of it out of surprise. Law felt himself fade in and out of consciousness, dimly wondering why he’d written off Doflamingo as someone not to be concerned with. Because that was who the voice belonged to.

“It’s too bad that my little brother won’t listen to me.” Doflamingo laughed to himself as if he found the idea to be absurd. “So I decided that I’ll just have to do something about that myself. It’s convenient for me that he’s taken such a shine to you. I’m sure that he wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”

Law was kind of happy to end up unconscious, because he didn’t want to think about how this was going to affect Rocinante. Or the fact that if this was related to Rocinante’s job, that the other man was likely to do anything Doflamingo wanted to get him back. Which worried Law about just what Doflamingo wanted from his brother, as the dark haired surgeon was sure that the time Rocinante had been wounded so badly had been because of Doflamingo. Law didn’t want that to ever happen again.

_ Cora… _

-x-

Rocinante knew that something was wrong when he arrived at Law’s house and only found Penguin and Shachi there. Both roommates were clearly worried, as they both mentioned that Law should have been back home a while ago.

“I just talked to Law on the phone less than an hour ago.” Rocinante said as he sat down on the couch in the living room.

“We tried calling, but he’s not picking up.” Penguin said, his expression troubled.

“Why don’t you give him a call? Maybe he just doesn’t want to talk to us?” Shachi suggested, even if he sounded doubtful. “It isn’t like him to not answer.”

Rocinante made the call and waited as the phone rang. With each passing second, the blond began to worry even more. When the sound of a phone picking up was heard, Rocinante let out a low sigh before speaking. “You should pick up your phone, Law, even if it is just your roommates.”

No response.

Rocinante frowned. “Law?”

_ ‘Fufufu. I’m wondering, Roci, why did you not come home sooner? I would have thought that I made myself clear about what could happen if you didn’t leave behind what you’ve learned.’ _ Doflamingo’s voice was far too malicious and gleeful _. ‘Too bad. I guess you don’t really care much what happens to your little surgeon, if you think he can fend for himself while you’re not around.’_

The fears that Rocinante had had the day that Doflamingo had made his subtle threat crashed over him all at once. The blond could see Law’s roommates concerned looks, but Rocinante was focused on his brother. It occurred to the officer that Doflamingo could be trying to trick him. “I think you’re lying, I’m not-"

‘ _Lying? Why would I bother with that? Here…_ ’ There was movement on the other end, before Doflamingo spoke up snidely. _‘Go on, say something. He’s obviously delusional if he doesn’t think I’d go this far.’_

Rocinante’s breath caught as he heard a soft, almost inaudible voice that was clearly Law’s saying ‘Cora’ and something with the word ‘don’t’ in it.

Doflamingo’s voice overrode whatever else the dark haired surgeon might have said. _‘It’s a shame that he doesn’t want anything to do with me. Perhaps I’ll ask another time. But that makes him rather useless to me right now, and you know what I do with those kinds of people, don’t you, Roci?’_

Rocinante couldn’t believe that Doflamingo would involve Law in something that he had nothing to do with, but at the same time, Doflamingo was right. Rocinante should have known better than to think that his brother wouldn’t use any and all means to get what he wanted. He hadn’t been careful enough, and he could only imagine how Law must feel. And as much as Rocinante wanted to deny Doflamingo what he wanted, the blond haired offcier preferred that Law continue to be safe. Well…as safe as one could be around his older brother. With that thought in mind, and as much as Rocinante hated it, he knew that he would have to be careful with what he said.


	25. Chapter 25

When he had woken up, Law had decided to feign unconsciousness to better get a handle on his surroundings. If he was able to. It didn't help that Law felt some kind of fabric over his eyes, which likely pointed to being blindfolded, and a quick peek out of his eyes confirmed that. So, he couldn't go by vision, but he could try and see if he heard anything. At first, it had been quiet, which led the surgeon to initially believe that he was in some kind of building. A door opening and closing confirmed this, as Law began to hear footsteps approach him.

"Awake now?"

Doflamingo.

Law held perfectly still as he tried to figure out whether it would be worth it to pretend to still be out like a light, but didn't want to give the other man any reason to do something to him. Law twitched when a foot nudged him, and he shifted away. As he did, the dark haired surgeon realized something else. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and the metal was digging into his skin painfully.

"I guess you are." Doflamingo said, as if he weren't at all surprised that this was the case.

Law's phone began to go off, and the surgeon heard Doflamingo get closer to him, a hand trying to dig the cell out of his pocket. The surgeon twisted out of reach. "I hope your brother arrests you for this. Take these handcuffs off of me."

Doflamingo merely laughed in response as if Law were highly entertaining.

Law would have taken issue with that had Doflamingo not just roughly turned him back over to pluck the still ringing phone from his pocket and strode away to answer it.

The following minute or so was frustrating, because Law had tried to warn Rocinante to not do whatever it was that Doflamingo wanted him to when the sneering man had told him to say something. Unfortunately, it seemed that Doflamingo hadn't liked that because a gag had been added to prevent Law from spewing an insult Doflamingo's way. The gag was likely a good thing, if such a thing could be, because it prevented Law from heaping abuse on Doflamingo for laughing at Rocinante over the phone and taunting him. Not that Law could hear what was being said, beause Doflamingo had walked away again out of ear shot. Law didn't have to wait for long before he could hear heavy footfall approach him again, accompanied by Dofalmingo's voice.

"I think that this was one of my better ideas. I should have done this sooner to get my brother to keep his nose out of my business." Doflamingo laughed at the muffled sounds issuing from Law at that. "Fufufu. What? Should I have tried to kill him again? That didn't work too well the last time, and I kind of like having things play out this way. It's far more interesting to manipulate him with someone else. It's amusing."

Law quieted at Doflamingo's words. The other blond had been the one that had hurt Rocinante all those months ago? When the surgeon had had to operate on him to save his life? Doflamingo had done that...to his own brother? Why hadn't Rocinante said anything? Was it because the blond haired officer felt it was too closely related to his job to let him know?

"Fufufu. He should come here soon. He doesn't want anything to happen to you, after all."

Law frowned as he ignored Doflamingo. He was more concerned with why Rocinante hadn't told him to be wary of this man. It made the dark haired surgeon wonder if that was the reason why Rocinante had been calling him so much these past few days.

And if that was the case, what had Doflamingo said to him to cause him to do that?

-x-

Rocinante arrived at Doflamingo's home, anxious and worried about Law's safety. He hadn't liked the sound of Doflamingo suggesting that he would 'rid' himself of Law if Rocinante didn't come take him off his hands. And leave the information he'd acquired in the other city behind.

"Doffy's in the living room."

Rocinante gave the speaker a wide berth as he passed him, because the blond haired officer wasn't sure whether or not Vergo would have attacked him. Rocinante pondered whether or not to point out that Vergo had a fry stuck to his cheek, but decided that bizarre physics was something he was going to leave alone that day.

Law was more important.

Rocinante wan't sure what to think anymore of the company that his brother chose to keep. Rocinante entered the mansion without too much trouble, and was surprised that he came across no one on his way to the room that Vergo had indicated. Just as he stepped into the living room, Rocinante caught sight of Law on the couch. Anger rose within the blond haired officer at the sight of the gag and blindofold, and the way Law's arms were behind his back. But the immediate danger was sitting next to the surgeon, and it bothered Rocinante greatly that Doflamingo was ruffling Law's hair. The other man's wide grin clearly indicated that he knew the motion bothered Rocinante.

"You brought the information?" Doflamingo asked, letting go of Law's hair as he rose from the couch and launguidly started to cross the living room.

Rocinante held perfectly still as Doflamingo cirlcled him before he patted him on the shoulder.

"Well?" Doflamingo persisted, his head cocked to the side to look at Rocinante.

"...I have it." Rocinante said, his eyes flicking in Law's direction before he held up a small bag that he'd brought with him.

Doflamingo plucked the bag out of his brother's hand and peeked through the contents. "And the copy of the information?"

"It's in there as well." Rocinante said tiredly. The blond haired officer relaxed a little as Doflamingo turned away from him, and again looked in Law's direction to reassure himself that the other man was all right. He should have been looking out for himself, as a sudden pain flared up in his abdomen as Doflamingo hit him hard. Rocinante collapsed on the ground with a breathless gasp, but didn't dare move as he heard fury underlying his brother's voice. He winced when Doflamingo's hand fisted into his hair and yanked his head up so that he was forced to look at his brother's furious visage.

"Don't take me for a fool. I will return your toy to you this time, but if you try to pull the wool over my eyes again, I will make sure that he doesn't come away unscathed."

Rocinante had a flare of anger at Law being referred to as a toy but was focused on recovering from being hit to really say anything of it. The officer merely fell back his hands and knees as soon as Doflamingo had released his hair.  Rocinante immediately began to panic when he realized that Doflamingo was headed toward Law, and he couldn't get his breath back fast enough to reach the surgeon first. But he needn't have worried about that, as Doflamingo did return him to him. Rocinante was barely able to catch Law as his brother carelessly hefted him in his direction, and just managed to prevent Law from falling onto the ground.

"I expect the copy of that copy to be in Vergo's hands first thing in the morning." Doflamingo said calmly, the trace of his earlier fury gone. "Now get out, before I change my mind."

"Why isn't anyone else here?" Rocinante dared to ask after he'd gotten to his feet with Law securely held in both of his arms.  "I only saw Vergo."

"Use your head. If the rest of my family were here witnessing this little exchange, do you really believe that you both would leave here alive?"

Rocinante left without looking at his brother, nor did he dare to ask anything else, such as where the keys to Law's handcuffs were. He wanted the dark haired surgeon as far away from Doflamingo as he could get him. Rocinante said nothing to Vergo on the way out of the house, and only when he was a block or two away did he remove the blindfold and gag. Rocinante grit his teeth as Law said nothing and merely buried his face against his shoulder with a sigh.

-x-

Rocinante made his way back to Law's house, neither he nor the surgeon saying a word to one another. But the blond haired officer did hold him close, one hand trailing along Law's back reassuringly. That the surgeon appeared to snuggle closer to him made Rocinante happy, though he was still concerned because he would have expected Law to say something. But for now...

The blond haired officer looked around warily as he crossed the street, and headed down the last few blocks to Law's house. It made him nervous that Law didn't live too far away from his brother's home, and Rocinante had never really given that fact too much thought. Mainly because he never would have suspected that Doflamingo would drag Law into an argument between them, or to use the surgeon as leverage to get what he wanted.

"Your phone is ringing." Law said quietly against the other man's shoulder.

Rocinante maneuvered Law carefully over to one arm. "I have him." The blond said as soon as he answered the phone. "If you have anything in the house that can pick locks, please find them." Rocinante hoped he didn't drop Law or trip. The surgeon didn't need any more stress that night.

' _Is Law all right?'_ Penguin asked, clearly concerned.

"I think so. I believe the more troubling fact is that my brother wasn't too kind with the choice of handcuffs." Rocinante said.

_ 'I'll go look. I'll ask Shachi if we have something like that in the house.'  _ Penguin hesitated a moment before he added. _'How close are you?'_

"A few blocks."

_ 'We'll see you soon then.' _

Rocinante hung up and put the phone back in his pocket so that he could go back to carrying Law with both of his arms. As soon as Law settled back against him as closely as he was able to, Rocinante resumed trailing one hand along the surgeon's back the rest of the way home.

-x-

As soon as Rocinante got Law into his house, Shachi and Penguin were immediately there to help the blond haired officer deal with the handcuffs. Rocinante was actually relieved that Shachi didn't make any jokes about the handcuffs, although since the red head knew the gist of what had happened, Rocinante wouldn't have thought he would. If handcuffs happened to find their way into the house later...that would probably be when Shachi would tease them.

But not right now.

Luckily Shachi had some knowledge of how to pick a lock, although he was a little evasive about where he had learned the trick.

"Now where did you learn to do that?" Rocinante asked as he helped carefully take the handcuffs off of Law's wrists, his brow furrowing in concern at the faint flash of pain that crossed Law's face as the metal left his skin. Rocinante's eyes darkened at the reason why. The surgeon's wrists were raw and bleeding in some places where the metal had cut in to the skin.

Shachi discreetly avoided the question.

"I'll go get the med kit out." Penguin offered. "It's still in the bathroom, isn't it?" At a single nod from Law, Penguin went to go and get it.

After the newfound wounds were treated, Law immediately went to his room, and Rocinante didn't protest when the surgeon had him come with him. Rocinante watched silently as Law settled on the couch in the room and not the bed, and after a moment's hesitation, the blond joined Law. Neither of them said anything, and it seemed to Rocinante that Law seemed to be waiting for him to do something. What that was, Rocinante wasn't entirely sure.

"Cora?"

Law's whispered word tugged at Rocinante's heartstrings. It was a different tone than the other man had used before. The surgeon sounded hurt and in need of reassurance of some kind. Rocinante scooted closer to Law, and when the dark haired man didn't move away, Rocinante gently lifted Law's nearest hand to kiss the bandages wrapped around his wrist.

"Cora..."

Rocinante liked the embarrassed tone much better than the hurt one, and remembered his promise to himself to get Law to smile at least once when he came back home. Rocinante turned a bit to lean over and trail kisses on and around the bandage, before he gently set that hand down and gave the same attention to the other hand. It caused Law to squirm in place. Rocinante smiled at the surgeon as he set that hand back down, before he tilted his head to kiss Law's cheek, and then the side of his neck as the fingertips of his other hand trailed lightly along the side of Law's jaw. Rocinante drew back so that he could rest his forehead against Law's as he let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad that you're safe."

Law reached up tentatively with a hand to tangle it through Rocinante's hair, and tugged slightly to get him to turn his head. And closed his eyes as he initiated a kiss.

Rocinante slipped a hand behind Law's head and joined in on the kiss as his other arm slipped around the surgeon's back. It seemed like such a long time ago that he had been able to touch Law like this. Rocinante made a happy murmur into the kiss, and held Law snugly up against his side. But as soon as Rocinante felt Law start to tremble, he broke the kiss and settled back against the couch, his other arm dropping from Law's head to join the arm around his back. "Are you all right?"

"I don't know." Law said quietly as he rested his head against Rocinante. "I don't know if I can work like this." The surgeon's gaze drifted to his wrists. "The bandages would be in the way of the gloves I'd need to wear."

Rocinante held Law closer, feeling stupid for not realizing that sooner. It made much more sense now why Doflamingo had handcuffed Law in such a way, and hoped that the surgeon's wrists weren't too badly hurt. Rocinante honestly couldn't tell from what it had looked like, other than it had to be painful. And Rocinante would have liked to do something to make Law feel better, but he wasn't sure what would help. Rocinante flinched faintly as the surgeon leaned against him in a sore spot on his abdomen. And of course Law, despite his own worry about his wrists, noticed.

"Are you all right? Did Doflamingo do something to you? I did hear you fall over earlier." Law asked as he leaned back to look Rocinante in the eye.

"He punched me near where I was injured about a month ago." Rocinante frowned a little. "He must have gotten that information from someone in the other city for him to hit it as accurately as he did."

Law tentatively ran a hand over Rocinante's chest and abdomen until he drew forth another faint flinch from the blond. "Does it still hurt?"

"Just a little. I'll just bruise at the worst. I was more worried that he might have hurt you." Rocinante said, and that much was certainly true.

"You shouldn't have given him the information." Law said, lightly tracing the area. "You should have arrested him."

"Doffy would have just found some way to make the situation not be as bad as it looked. He might have even thought to get me into trouble for it if I didn't cooperate with him." Rocinante said. "I know him better than you, and that wouldn't be out of the question. I'll just have to start over and try and find something else." Rocinante lightly held Law's hand that still rested on his abdomen and smiled, though it wasn't a cheerful one. "Let's not talk about it right now."

"...fine." Law sounded as if he wanted to.

Rocinante decided that he wanted to cheer Law up more than continue the unpleasant train of thought that involved Doflamingo. So he brought Law onto his lap and started to kiss him between ear and jaw, knowing that the spot always distracted Law.

And it did.

"Ah, Cora! Tha...that tickles. Stop." Law couldn't help but tuck his head beneath Rocinante's to stop the teasing, although the blond seemed determined to do just that as he tilted Law over onto the couch and rested over him, though Rocinante was careful of the surgeon's bandaged wrists. "Cora?"

"I love you, Law. I'm sorry I didn't come home sooner to prevent what happened." Rocinante said as he nuzzled along Law's collarbone. He smiled when he felt Law's hand hesitantly run through his hair again.

"Thank you...for helping me." Law said, his voice nearly inaudible.

"You're welcome." Rocinante said in response as he kissed Law's cheek. He happily kissed Law again as the dark haired surgeon wrapped his arms around the back of his neck. It was a more intense kiss than the last, as if Law really understood then and there that Rocinante was back in the city with him. The blond haired officer enthusiastically returned the kiss, pleased when it drew out a breathless little laugh from Law. Everything seemed perfect in that moment, and Law appeared to be quite content to cuddle with him for the rest of that night after they'd stopped kissing. For now. Rocinante let out a slow sigh as he remembered a certain detail. He would still have to wake up early and go hand over the information that he had hoped that Doflamingo wouldn't think he still had.

"Cora?" Law asked after a moment, in a faintly embarrassed way.

"Hm?" Rocinante hummed as he went back to nuzzling Law's collarbone, not expecting a blunt statement from the other man that he received.

"You appear to have an erection." Law said this as if he were commenting on the weather.

That certainly took Rocinante out of the lazy haze his mind had wandered in to, and quite suddenly, he was hyper aware of just how close he was to Law. Rocinante decided to try and downplay what the surgeon had pointed out, and went back to paying attention to the skin peeking out of Law's shirt. "And?"

"And you are pressing up against me." Law said, as if it were mortifying to point out. "I can feel your..."

"I haven't seen you for a month and a half." Rocinante mumbled, though now that Law had mentioned it, he was becoming aware of that friendly twitch. "Why wouldn't you affect me in that way?"

"Seeing as I have my wrists bandaged, I can't exactly take care of it for you as I did last time." Law said vaguely, as if he were figuring out some problem. "Perhaps I can do something else that I read about, I read that-"

"I can take care of it later." Rocinante cut in, as he himself was embarrassed at the thought of Law referencing that sex book or whatever it had been from months ago. "I just want to be with you." Rocinante carefully moved to one side of the couch so that he wasn't constantly reminding Law just how happy he was to be with him. Rocinante cursed his body for being so damn eager. He didn't want to scare Law off.

"Are you sure you don't want help? I did cause it again, didn't I?" Law asked, his detached manner oddly out of place, considering what had happened to him less than an hour ago.

"It's fine." Rocinante said, even if he was interested in Law touching him again. If only when he was more comfortable with the idea, and probably not after over a month’s absence of any kissing or other intimate things. So of course Law had to go and surprise him again, because Rocinante suddenly found himself on his back against the other arm of the chair with Law was giving him a devious little smile. Rocinante was embarrassed that it aroused him more, and he wasn't sure what to make of the smirk that Law now wore.

"Just relax, Cora."

Rocinante doubted that he would be able to that because Law had just edged toward him and put his hands on his thighs. Instead of relaxing, Rocinante ended up doing just the opposite. At the very least there was no heart monitor to show just how fast his heart had started to race, though he was sure that Law would notice in any case.


	26. Chapter 26

Rocinante was quite happy with the kiss that he received. It wasn't what he had been expecting, but he was not at all dissatisfied with it. In fact, Rocinante enjoyed it more because he was able to kiss the surgeon in return. It was a heated kiss, and it seemed to have been done in response to Law realizing that his wrists were nor in the best of shape to be moving around and touching Rocinante. It appeared as if the surgeon had come to the conclusion that he couldn't actually 'take care' of the blond's erection as he had previously thought he could. The little smirk that had been there before at the suggestion had vanished to be replaced with slight doubt. And with a shake of his head, the surgeon had instead had chosen to climb onto Rocinante's lap to kiss him.

Law still happened to be busily kissing in and around the blond’s mouth a few minutes later, as if it would make up for not doing what he had been hinting at.

Rocinante had been forced to lean against the back of the couch during the kiss in order to accommodate Law on his lap. The blond did not want the surgeon to unintentionally arouse him further by brushing up against his now too tight pants, so Rociante held Law up against his chest while they kissed.

"Cora?" Law left off his kisses when he noticed that the other man had shifted slightly. The surgeon was breathing heavily after the amount of kissing that he'd decided that he had needed to lavish on Rocinante's shoulder and neck. Law was slightly flushed from the effort as well, although perhaps it was also because he was more aware of what he was doing now.

"Someone thinking a little too much about what they're doing?" Rocinante asked teasingly as he allowed his hands to trail down so that they could slip around Law's upper back to better hold him.

"Maybe." Law murmured, before he leaned up to continue to leisurely kiss Rocinante. He stopped briefly again after he heard the blond laugh softly. "What?"

"I'd just forgotten how small you were." Rocinante stated with a mischievous smile. "But it does make it easier for me to hold you."

"I am not small." Law stated bluntly. "You are just very tall."

"I know." Rocinante smiled as he initiated another kiss. During it, the blond allowed his hands to dip down to Law's sides, and then up beneath the hoodie that the surgeon wore so that he could trail his fingertips along the tanned skin hidden beneath. Rocinante took it as a good sign that instead of shying away from his touch, Law pressed up against him more closely instead.

"Cora." The dark haired man breathed as he sagged against the blond's chest, hands reaching up to dig into the sweater that Rocinante was wearing.

Rocinante tentatively ran his fingers along Law's skin, before he grew more confident and began to massage little stiff spots that he could find along the surgeon's shoulders. Rocinante rested his cheek against the top of Law’s head. "Someone hadn't been relaxing after work."

"Hm, perhaps it was because your crazy brother kidnapped me." Law muttered in response.

"Sorry." Rocinante had been so focused on the dark haired surgeon that he had actually briefly forgotten that fact. "But the stiff muscles..." The blond's fingertips dug lightly into the skin and caused Law to squirm. "...it can't have been all from tonight." Rocinante said as he smiled and kissed Law's cheek at the other's actions.

Law merely tightened his hold on the sweater again and let out something akin to a moan when the blond haired man found a particularly sore spot.

Rocinante was content to continue to place his attentions on Law's stiff muscles, when the surgeon finally noticed the fact that he was seated on Rocinante's lap, and that the blond's erection had not flagged in the slightest. Rocinante stilled his hands movements as Law rested his own hands flat against his chest and spoke.

"Can you stop for a moment?" The surgeon's words were still breathless, but there was another tone that Rocinante couldn't quite place.

Rocinante immediately did as Law asked as he removed his hands from beneath the other man's hoodie, although he was mystified that the surgeon didn't leave the room. Instead, Law had gotten up to cross over to his bed where he flopped onto his back and lie inert with a slow exhale. Rocinante straightened up on the couch, confused by the surgeon’s actions. "What are you doing?"

Law fidgeted from where he lay on the bed, and the tone that Rocinante couldn't figure out before was now clear.

Embarrassment.

"I...I think that I'm..." The surgeon drifted off as he fidgeted some more, before he lifted his head to look at the other man, his face flushed a little. As if he was not sure whether he should say something or not.

Rocinante stared at Law, not sure what the surgeon was hinting at.

Law let his head drop back onto the bed. "I had a hard time trying to get myself to...well...when I was trying things from that book I'd been reading I could never quite get aroused enough to..." The surgeon was unable to finish, as if mortified to admit the newfound problem that he now had.

Things clicked into place in an instant, and Rocinante was up off the couch and headed for the bed to make sure he was right. One quick look was all it took for Rocinante to realize that Law had been attempting to indicate that he too was now had an erection as well and was obviously not sure what to do with it from the look of it. Rocinante carefully settled onto the bed next to Law before he leaned over and nuzzled the side of the dark haired surgeon's neck.

"Cora." Law reached over with one hand to tilt the blond's head to kiss him as his hand threaded through hair.

Rocinante shifted one arm on the bed slightly in order to better indulge in the kiss, and smiled as he felt Law fidget beneath him the longer the kiss went on. Rocinante was the first to break the kiss so he could settle back to look the dark haired man in the eyes. "Do you want some help with that?" Rocinante asked as he dared to trail one of his hands down along Law's side, where the blond then traced his fingertips along the inside of the surgeon's thigh. Rocinante was taken aback yet quietly thrilled when Law, after a moment's thought, gave a short, jerky nod as he lightly wrapped his arms around Rocinante's neck again, one hand going back to dig through blind hair.

"Yes." Law managed to say, even if it was clear that he was still embarrassed about it.

Rocinante gently freed himself from Law's embrace as he placed a kiss on each bandaged wrist, eliciting a quiet protest from the surgeon at that gesture. The blond haired man gently but firmly laid Law's arms to his sides on the bed before Rocinante smiled as he leaned over to place a feather light kiss on Law's forehead. The blond still retained a worried for what he was going to do. "Just let me know if you get uncomfortable and I will stop."

-x-

Law wasn't sure what to expect as Rocinante gently began to maneuver him out of his pants. They'd attempted this a few times in the past, but the dark haired surgeon had always weaseled out of what they'd been doing due to some embarrassment and trepidation. Right now, however, this was different in some way that Law couldn't place.

Even if he was still embarrassed.

The dark haired surgeon tried to keep his hands where Rocinante had settled them, although it was mainly because he didn't want to hurt his wrists. But it was getting more difficult to think and more so when Rocinante got him out of his briefs as well which was a relief in a way because now his briefs weren't chafing against his dick and-

"Law? Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Rocinante asked from where he'd rested his head against the surgeon's chest. The blond sounded concerned.

"Hm? Oh, yes." Law couldn't, wouldn't tell Rocinante no. He actually wanted the other man to touch him. Law had found that he missed Rocinante's touch over the past month and a half, and it made the surgeon realize that he really liked it when Rocinante would be so close to him. Law squirmed a little against the bed as the blond took him at his words and dipped one large hand down to wrap around his cock. It was tentatively done tentatively as if Rocinante wasn't quite sure if Law were really all right with this or not yet.

The sensation, however, was more than Law could have imagined as soon as Rocinante began to move that hand. It was much different than when Law had occasionally touched himself in an attempt to test things out that he had read about. And the more Rocinante moved that hand along, the more disorganized Law's thoughts became until he ended up solely focused on the sensation of that hand and the way it was making his body react. It seemed as if his damn dick was much more responsive to another’s touch than it was to his own and the surgeon wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.

Law moaned something helplessly into the kiss that Rocinante suddenly drew him in to, so much so that the dark haired surgeon loosely tangled one of his hands back into the shaggy blond hair above him. Law was almost...enjoying himself more than his attempted solo ventures when his mind came back online at the sound of Rocinante fumbling around with his own pants. Law froze, his lazily lusty thoughts fleeing almost immediately as he balked at the thought of sex.

"It's all right." Rocinante breathed against Law's lips, his hand briefly stilling its movement before leaving altogether. "I just need to take care of myself too. Though I think I might be able to come from just listening to you, Law."

The dark haired surgeon blinked in confusion as he dazedly stared up at Rocinante. He had been making sounds? Odd, he didn't recall that. Law noted that Rocinante had just moved to one side of him, and blushed at the sight of the blond wiggling out of his pants enough to...

Rocinante fell out of bed with a startled yelp and a loud thump as he hit the floor.

Law couldn't help but let out another breathless little laugh as Rocinante righted himself at the edge of the bed and settled on his knees on the floor, red faced at his mishap. "Are you all right?" Law sat up and slid to the edge of the bed, acutely aware that he was still half naked. But so was the blond haired man, which gave Law something else to think about.

"Yes." Rocinante said sheepishly, before he began to smile again.

Law might have said something had Rocinante not reached up in that moment and gripped his still there erection like it wasn't an embarrassing thing to do. And then Rocinante thumbed the tip and Law most certainly heard himself give a thin whine through his nose. And since he also happened to mindlessly thrust his hips into Rocinante’s hand, the blond seemed to get it in his head that Law had liked what he’d just done.

So Rocinante gave Law’s cock another quick press of his thumb, and seemed to be elated that he’d gotten another reaction out of Law.

The dark haired surgeon let out a sharp hiss of air as he leaned over and gripped Rocinante's head to bury his face into the messy blond hair before him. Law made another moan when Rocinante started to move his hand again, and he couldn’t help buck but his hips again into the hold that the blond had him in.

"C...Cora." Law could barely form the other man's name, let alone a coherent sentence that would have indicated that he really, really needed the aroused state to leave him. And soon, if at all possible, because he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out before the feeling drove him crazy.

Rocinante made some kind of soft mumble in return, sounding a little breathless himself.

Law belatedly realized that the blond's other hand was running along his own arousal, and it kind of turned Law on more that he was having such an effect on Rocinante and vice versa. The dark haired surgeon wasn't exactly sure how long they were like that, nor how long he mindlessly thrust into Rocinante’s hand, but by the time the orgasm hit him, it didn’t seem to really matter. And the surgeon would not have been able to say when he had let go of Rocinante’s head, he really couldn’t remember, and that was when Law found himself sagging backward on the bed, spent.

Rocinante didn’t last too much longer from the sound of it, and once he had finished, the blond had silently rested his head on Law's lap and gave him a content smile. Much to Law's embarrassment, neither of them was exactly very clean anymore.  Rocinante didn't seem to mind in the least bit as he merely let out a happy little sigh and sagged further against the bed and Law’s thigh. Neither of them said anything for several minutes, but then Rocinante, out of the blue, lifted his head and spoke with a deliriously happy smile that was evident even in his voice. "I love you, Law."

Law was certain that he was blushing and wasn’t exactly what to do in return. So, since it seemed that he was momentarily incapable of speech, he silently urged Rocinante back up onto the bed so that they could kiss. Law just tried to ignore the fact that both of them were still naked.

-x-

Once they had cleaned up after lazing around on Law's bed for a few minutes, the dark haired surgeon had had to be gently restrained by a now boxer wearing Rocinante to prevent him from leaving the room.

Rocinante had sure as hell figured out what that particular look on Law’s face meant by now, and he was quick to act. That didn’t stop Law from trying to squirm out of his embrace with the way the dark haired surgeon was currently so flustered.

"Cora, I need to-"

"You're not going to go on a cleaning spree tonight." Rocinante cut in as he held Law up against his chest, arms wrapped snugly around the surgeon's back. "I did tell you that I wanted to hold you." The blond whispered against Law's neck, kissing him between ear and jaw and drawing forth a little gasp.

"You kind of already did." Law said, mortified even though he still managed a small smirk. "And you seemed to...enjoy it too..." The surgeon trailed off awkwardly, and some of the trepidation he still felt was obvious in the way his eyes shifted to run over the entire room as if to look for an easy escape.

"It sounded like you did too." Rocinante pecked Law on the cheek with a smile, loving the way other man ducked his head away. "And I couldn't help it; you were moaning so much that I couldn't wait to take care of myself..."

Law took a deep breath and let it out even though he still appeared embarrassed about what had just happened.

"Stop thinking so much right now. Breathe." Rocinante murmured sleepily as he kissed Law on the nose. "Actually, sleep. You'll feel better if you don't exhaust yourself cleaning things." Rocinante felt Law relax against him after letting out another sigh, and appeared to be lulled into a sated state from their earlier activity and Rocinante's body heat.

"Cora."

Rocinante felt Law rest a hand lightly over his, and the blond could tell that the surgeon was being mindful of the fact that he had bandages. The blond responded by placing a feather light kiss on the side of the surgeon's neck as he felt Law start to doze off against him. But not before Rocinante whispered to him softly, thrilled when he got a murmured response in return. It was enough that it would offset the unpleasantness of having to go to Doflamingo's in a few hours’ time.

For now, Rocinante was happy to be where he was, and would stay as long he was able to before he had to go briefly. And hopefully return before Law would wake up.

-x-

When Law woke the next morning, it was from a deep and relaxing rest that he didn't often get since he'd become a surgeon. Law yawned and absently stretched out as he turned over onto his left side. He began to wake more quickly when he remembered everything that had happened hours ago. To calm himself, the surgeon tried to think things through rationally. Law wondered if he had just imagined the night before, but at the sensation of his aching wrists, the abduction by Doflamingo was anything but imagined. And a quick peek with squinted eyes confirmed the bandages wrapped around his wrists. Law was certainly relieved that Rocinante had come for him, if a little worried about what could have happened. The dark haired man let out another sigh. But after that…had that actually…?

"You're cute when you're just waking up." A hand suddenly began to trail lightly along the surgeon's back. "I should have woken up before you more often."

Law's eyes shot open at the warmth and amusement in Rocinante's very close voice and the fact that the blond had had a hand on his back. The surgeon turned over hastily, only to smack his head against Rocinante's, which was closer than he had expected. Law lie still for a moment from the sudden flare of pain, though he heard a soft laugh emit from Rocinante. Law tilted his head and nearly came face to face with the blond haired officer, who was smiling gently at him and appeared to be content from where he currently lounged on the bed. Law felt his face heat up as the blond's words sunk in. "Why were you watching me sleep?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you were all right." Rocinante said as he inched closer across the bed and lifted one hand to ruffle Law's hair. "After all, last night well, you seemed to be..." Rocinante trailed off and gave a light shrug of his shoulder before he ran his hand through Law's hair more heavily, as if suddenly fascinated with it.

Law made some soft grumble at the action but ended up just lying there as he allowed Rocinante to ruffle his hair. The dark haired surgeon had allowed it because had seen that happy smile plastered across the blond haired man's face. It was the same smile that Rocinante wore that meant that he was thrilled that Law had stayed with him. That no matter how slowly they progressed with their relationship, Rocinante was happy to be with and do whatever Law wanted so long as they were together. It was so damn sappy that the surgeon didn't know what to say or do most of the time in return. But right now, he knew that he wanted Rocinante in remain in that happy mood, so Law acted accordingly.

The dark haired surgeon half closed his eyes as he inwardly enjoyed the sensation of Rocinante trailing a hand through his hair. Law didn't think that he was ever going to admit aloud that he happened to like simple gestures such as these. The dark haired man would have even been content to have Rocinante's hand on his shoulder making the same motion and it still would have made him happy. But Law felt that he had a reputation to retain as a surgeon so there was no way he was going to actively ask Rocinante to touch him like this. He certainly wasn't about to admit that he might melt like a puddle of goo whenever the blond haired officer flashed one of those dazzling smiles at him, or when he...

"You like it when I do this?" Rocinante asked quietly, still wearing a faint smile as he snuggled closer to Law to get a better angle for his hand. It was clear from his tone that he figured the answer was yes, but was looking for confirmation.

Law almost, almost admitted that why yes, he did like it when Rocinante touched him in this manner and could he continue to do so. But the surgeon couldn't bring himself to say that aloud. Law figured then that he didn't have to say anything if Rocinante already knew, so Law decided that he was going to say something else. But then Rocinante had to go and distract him again by placing a sneaky kiss on his cheek.

"Law?"

Of course, that little kiss alone might have gotten Law to sullenly say yes. But for the surgeon, it was almost horrifying for him to admit that simple things like what Rocinante was currently doing now he actually very much liked. But that was when their previous night's activities had to resurface in his mind as the surgeon tried to figure out something to say to skirt around Rocinante's innocent question. The thought of what they'd done immediately caused Law to move his head away from the other's touch, unable to look Rocinante in the eye. To distract himself, Law asked the blond a question in return. "Where were you earlier?" Because Law had been sure that he'd briefly woken only ten minutes before and Rocinante hadn't been in his room. Or on his bed so close to him, for that matter.

"I had to bring that copy of the information I found to Doffy’s, remember?" Rocinante reminded the surgeon as he draped his right arm over Law's waist and snuggled even closer as he gently bumped the side of Law's head with his own.

"You went alone?" While I was sleeping was left unsaid as Law subconsciously cuddled closer to Rocinante. The surgeon immediately blamed his sleepiness for his sudden need to be so closely pressed up against to the other man' side. Law was awake enough, however, to realize that he had caused Rocinante to flinch ever so slightly as soon as he rested a hand against Rocinante's chest. "What if Doflamingo had done something to you?"

Rocinante shifted so that he could use his left hand to gently take hold of the one resting against his chest. "Well, I was lucky that he only had Vergo 'show' me out." The blond haired officer offered an odd little smile. "So my chest is a little tender at the moment."

"Let me see." Law demanded as he tried to move the blond’s hand away. Looking at the source of an injury was the surgeon's natural reaction to a hurt of any kind, and it was more so if the wound happened to involve Rocinante.

The blond merely held Law's hand in place. "It's fine. It's only painful if I put pressure on my chest. I'll bruise if nothing else." Rocinante brought Law's left hand briefly to his lips. "I love that you worry about me, but I'll be all right. Give your wrists a chance to heal before you start trying to fix me."

"So he _did_ hurt you. Indirectly." Law internally squirmed as the kisses the blond laid on his hand were making him even more aware of the previous night even more. Law freed his left hand eventually and draped the arm over Rocinante's waist, though a little higher since the blond was taller than him. "You should arrest them."

"Doffy'll just twist things around." Rocinante said, before he hesitated for a moment. When he spoke again, it was meant to be reassuring. "I'll figure something out eventually. It will just take some time. I'll need to be careful. I don't want you to get hurt if he decides to involve you in some way in the future."

Law felt Rocinante's right arm around his waist pull him closer despite the fact that it brought the surgeon into direct contact with the blond's sore chest. From being struck there with a fist, most likely. Law made a muffled sound of protest but Rocinante merely trailed his fingers along his back, before stilling again and brushing a kiss on the top of the surgeon's head.

Peaceful silence reigned for a few minutes, before Rocinante gently squeezed Law in the half hug he had him in. "Are you sure you were all right with last night? I don't want to make you uncomfortable. You didn't tell me to stop, so I-"

"It was fine." Law's voice was muffled against Rocinante's sweater. "It was...nice." Nice meaning that the dark haired man wasn't sure what to make of all the sensations that Rocinante had caused. That Rocinante’s hand wrapped around his dick and stroking it had been more than he thought it would be. He honestly hadn’t expected his body to react to the blond’s touch as much as he had. The surgeon would have to think upon it some more before he tried something like that again with the blond. Being squashed up against Rocinante's sweater right now, however, was something that he could and would change. Law wriggled within the blond's grasp until he had his head tucked up beneath Rocinante's chin.

That was much better.

-x-

Rocinante hugged Law to him again from where the surgeon moved, although their quiet cuddling was interrupted by the door to Law's room suddenly opening. Rocinante blinked in confusion. Hadn't he locked it? When he saw who it was, Rocinante figured that he would have to bring up the fact in the near future that Law's red haired roommate had an uncanny knack for picking locks.  It made the blond rather suspicions as to where he'd picked it up from and why.

“Hey, Law!” Shachi poked his head into the room, as if not at all bothered for picking said lock. "Did you see where the…whoa! Sorry, I thought you just…never mind." The red head swiftly ducked out of the room before Law had the chance react to his presence.

The dark haired surgeon flushed and buried his face against the side of Rocinante's neck as he mumbled drearily. "I need a better lock on my door."

Rocinante laughed softly at Law's words but continued to hug him, quietly thrilled that the dark haired surgeon chose to remain behind and had not attempted to go run off to go clean or do something else in his house. It as a start, last night, and it was more than Rocinante would have thought that Law would be able to handle. That seemed to be the case with a lot of things that involved the surgeon. And the blond haired man couldn't help but think back on Law's words last night, or rather, early this morning, before he'd drifted off.

_Don't go anywhere. Stay here with me._

It was been sweet, hearing that from Law even if Rocinante was fairly sure that at that point in time Law was too exhausted and out of it to do anything more. Rocinante had happily complied with the surgeon's request however, and did so again now. Law's nonverbal cues right now clearly indicated that the dark haired surgeon wanted him to stay right where he was.

So Rocinante did just that.


	27. Chapter 27

Law met Rocinante at his apartment the next day after the other man had finished his shift. The surgeon currently waited for Rocinante to change out of his uniform before they would go out to get dinner. Law was glad for the excuse to leave his house, as Penguin and Shachi had fussed over him and the state of his wrists. His roommates had even tried to help him to do easy tasks around the house, clearly worried about the surgeon after what had happened to him the previous night. Law gave a brief glance to each of his wrists, and figured that the white of the bandages was better than any sign of red.   He would have been more concerned with his wrists if they had not stopped bleeding yet.

"Sorry this is taking so long…" Rocinante's soft voice drifted out from the bedroom apologetically, cutting into the surgeon’s internal musings.

"It's fine. The reservation is still a ways off." And waiting for Rocinante gave Law some time to meander around the living. The dark haired man could never really stand in one spot for too long when he was in Rocinante's home. Law figured that it was likely because he knew that it was only the two of them in the blond's apartment, and it made him wonder if Rocinante would be more prone to giving him a higher level of affection without the worry of being caught red handed by Law’s roommates or anyone else.

The dark haired surgeon nearly had to force himself to stop pacing and when he did, he ended up tripping over something. Almost exactly as Rocinante was apt to do. But Law had a sense of balance, unlike the blond, and was able to catch himself on the edge of the couch. Narrowed golden eyes fell on the object that had dared to trip him, though the faint annoyance from the trip was overridden by sudden curiosity.

The object in question was a large mass of black feathers that had been mostly tucked behind the couch.

Law retrieved the object, which revealed itself to be a feathery jacket of some sort when he held it up with both hands. It was oddly similar to the pink feathery jacket that Doflamingo had been wearing when he'd come across him at the café so many months ago. It wasn't like Law would have seen what the man had been wearing when he'd abducted him the previous night, as Doflamingo had caught him off guard as well as blindfolded him later.

"Law, are you ready to-"

"What is this from, Cora?" Law interrupted as he brandished the jacket at Rocinante.

Rocinante stopped short at the sight of what Law was holding, before he let out a sigh, a sad look in his eyes now. "I wore that while I was with Doflamingo for nearly three months, before I ended up in the hospital and saw you again…"

Law fell silent for a moment before he offered the feathery jacket to Rocinante. "I want to see it on you."

The blond haired officer appeared confused for a moment before he offered a very small smile and took the jacket to drape it over his shoulders.

Law stared at Rocinante. He very much liked the sight of that jacket draped over the other man's broad shoulders. It made him want to touch him. A dangerous thought, that. Law's lips quirked into a small smirk, as he found the blond to be very cute when he was utterly confused over something. "Wear that to dinner?"

Rocinante appeared more confused than ever, but was happy enough to comply with the request.

-x-

"Law?"

The dark haired surgeon glanced up at Rocinante before he settled back down on the blond's couch to lounge. "Yes?"

"How are your wrists?" Rocinante asked, from where he was seated alongside the couch. "You seemed to have a little difficulty with the silverware…"

Law turned over so that he faced the other man. At the same time, the surgeon pretended that he didn't snuggle deeper down against the feathery jacket beneath him. Law extended his arms after a brief hesitation so that Rocinante could see his bandaged wrists as he replied. "They are going to take some time to heal. I have spoken with the hospital and it's been agreed that I wait a few days after it heals to see if there is any lasting damage. Unlikely but possible." Law looked away. "Before I can work again, I will need to be able to show that I can do the delicate movements with my hands that some surgeries require."

"I'm sorry."

Law felt Rocinante gently take one of his hands in his own, and the surgeon turned his head in time to see the blond kiss his wrists as he had done the night before. Law also noticed a mischievous little smile cross Rocinante's face as he raised his gaze to meet his.

"You really seem to like that jacket, don't you?" Rocinante questioned as he let go of Law's hand to slide up and onto the couch alongside the surgeon. "But you seemed to like that kiss in the park after dinner even more."

Law leaned back just a little as Rocinante intruded further and further into his personal space until the blond was nuzzling alongside his throat and kissing him. "It was because the jacket hid me?" The dark haired surgeon asked distractedly in return. Law carefully wrapped his arms around Rocinante's head so that the other man didn't tease him so much, but his mind was elsewhere as he thought of the black feathery jacket beneath them.

It appeared as though Law was going to get one more tattoo added to his chest, before he showed it off to Rocinante. Even if it might be awkward to run across Kidd again, getting the tattoo done to his satisfaction held more precedence.

"Law?" Rocinante asked as he settled close against the dark haired man's side and placed a kiss on his cheek. Rocinante happily joined in on a kiss that Law all but dragged him in to after that, though he looked taken aback at the smirk across Law's face. It had become more devious than before. "What are you thinking about?"

"You." Law had wanted to get back at the other man for months for saying that to him before and this was the perfect opportunity. The surgeon was pleased that his one word response caused Rocinante to dissolve into incoherent splutters as if not able to comprehend what he just heard. Law settled against the blond comfortably and decided that he was most certainly going to be showing the tattoo soon. Law couldn't even begin to imagine what Rocinante's response would be if the man was at a loss of words at the mere idea of Law just thinking about him.

-x-

Law returned to the tattoo parlor within a week, when his schedule at work and his time with Rocinante permitted. After all, the dark haired surgeon didn't want the blond to be aware that he had another tattoo just yet. He wanted it to be a surprise.

"Hey. It’s been awhile doc. You aren't gonna give me hell about that smiley face on your chest today are you?" Kidd joked as soon as Law walked through the front door. He didn’t sound like he would care either way; the red head just seemed happy to see him.

"No. I just want another addition to the tattoo." Law should have known better than to think Kidd wouldn't find something to gripe about. Even in jest.

"More? Damn, how much more do you need that chest of yours tatted up?" The red head leered at Law like he’d thought of something positively indecent. "Unless you're gonna go shirtless around the city?" Kidd sounded hopeful at the possibility.

"Unlikely." Law said dryly in return. "At least not until I deem it necessary. I do have a reputation to retain as a surgeon."

"You can get away with being hot as hell, reputation or not. You can walk around bare chested if you want. No one should give a fuck." Kidd said as he gestured for Law to go to the nearest seat. The red head's leer deepened. "Besides, maybe you'll get more patients."

"That is not how I would go about advertising myself." Law said as he settled on the seat.

"I meant that if you walk around shirtless, you could cause accidents that you'd then have to fix. 'Cause they'd get overwhelmed by your sexiness..." Kidd's words trailed off into a mumble as he fidgeted with his tools.

"I highly doubt that I alone am enough to cause accidents just by walking around without a shirt on." Law held out a sheet of paper to the red head. "I want this to go around the heart on either side." And if that wasn't clear enough for Kidd, Law decided that he would show him, since he wanted the other man to get it right. The dark haired surgeon immediately yanked his hoodie off and traced his fingers along tanned skin to make it obvious what he wanted tattooed there.

"Um, can you do that again? I didn't get that." Kidd appeared to be distracted by something.

The surgeon was amused he had to repeat the gesture but Law most certainly wouldn't have been so entertained to learn the reason why. And he would have seen it if he had lifted his gaze.

The red head had clearly just wanted an excuse to stare at the surgeon's toned chest.

The addition to the tattoo, which Law hoped would make Rocinante blush at this point because it would be rather adorable, was likely only blobs in the red head’s eyes, but that was fine. Law thought Kidd behaved himself by the time he finished but the surgeon should have again known better.

"So, you still 'not' seeing anyone? Or you just messing around with me, doc?" Kidd asked as he went about cleaning his tools.

“I don’t see how it is any of your business.” Law said as he looked at himself in a mirror. The tattoo looked how he had envisioned, and supposed that while Kids was a nuisance, he was at least a skilled nuisance.

“Ah, come on, it’s not that big of a deal, is it?” Kidd asked as he left his equipment alone to turn his attention back to the surgeon. “Either you’re goin’ out with someone or you’re not.”

Law did not like how closely Kidd had encroached into his personal space. And then the red head made things more uncomfortable by finally noticing the bandages wrapped around the surgeon's wrists. Law had hoped to be done with them sooner, but no.  He still needed them.  It seemed like Rocinante was not the only one who was going to be concerned about him, and Law wasn’t sure what to think of Kidd being worried. Or at least, the surgeon thought he might be with the brief flash of anger in those amber eyes at the sight of the bandages.

"What the hell is this?" Kidd demanded as he snatched up one of Law's hands in his own to look it over. "Did you hurt yourself, doc?"

Law tried to free his hand. "It isn't your concern." The dark haired surgeon snapped irritably at Kidd as the red head started to impatiently tug the bandages off. "Hey, my wrists need to stay covered to heal. I highly doubt that you have bandages around here, so don't tear it!"

Kidd didn't say anything until he exposed the injury. The red head's brow furrowed, partially in confusion and partially in annoyance as he gingerly turned the limb this way and that to see the extent of the injury. "What the hell? You have some kind of kinky sex with handcuffs? I thought you said you weren't interested in that?" The red head cursed as Law kicked him and he let go of the surgeon's hand. "What the fuck?"

"I can assure you that it was not that at all." Law said tersely as he fussily rewrapped the bandages around his wrist.

“You sure?” Kidd asked doubtfully, the grin back. “I bet you’re actually really into the kinky stuff because you’re such a stiff bastard all of the time at work.” 

The dark haired surgeon was so distracted in making sure that Kidd knew that what had happened to his wrists were not in any way related to nocturnal activities that Law had no idea that Rocinante just happened to be walking by. And what the blond haired man would see would herald an immediate future problem that Law would have to navigate despite being socially inept.

-x-

Rocinante was on his way home from the police station when he stopped short, nearly tripping himself as he did so. He had to do a double take to make sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. But sure enough, Rocinante hadn't imagined it. The blond didn't care what the shop was as he was far more concerned that Law was inside with a red haired individual whom he recognized as Eustass Kidd. What was Law doing with that delinquent? The number of times Rocinante had seen that young man in the police station over the years...

Rocinante was pleased to see Law ward the other man out of his personal space, at least until Kidd slapped his ass as the surgeon skirted around him. The blond haired officer bristled at the sight but was appeased somewhat when Law very clearly showed he did not appreciate the action in the least bit. Kidd's laugh in return made something coil within Rocinante that the blond hadn't yet had reason to experience while he had been with Law.

The blond abruptly turned away. Rocinante did not want to confront Law in this manner about what he was doing, because the blond was sure that the surgeon wouldn't like it if he thought Rocinante were spying on him. He wasn't. Really, he'd just happened to be walking by. Rocinante was sure that there had to be a rational explanation for what he'd just seen. It wasn't like Law was cheating on him since they hadn't...

Rocinante let out a startled yelp as he tripped over a black cat that streaked past him, and fell over onto the ground with a useless flail. And since he'd been smoking a cigarette, he somehow managed to light his feathery black coat on fire. Rocinante had taken to wearing it more often since Law appeared to like it and that usually meant more time to cuddle with the surgeon, as Law enjoyed digging his hands into the feathers and pressing himself against him and-

"Cora? What the hell are you doing?"

The feeling of jealously faded a bit as the dark haired surgeon was suddenly there and trying to help him upright.

"Please try to not hurt yourself on the side of the street.  I'd hate for a car to run you over if you happened to fall into traffic."  Law said, his hands settled in the feathers of the jacket as he urged the blond up.

Rocinante rose, embarrassed but quite happy that Law was worried about him despite the irritation on the surgeon's face. And Law had his hands deep into the feathery jacket without the intention it seemed, to let go.  It was adorable and it filled Rocinante with happiness that Law was worried about his safety.  Without thinking, Rocinante pulled Law to him to kiss the surgeon enthusiastically, and laughed light heartedly when Law shooed him away with a faint blush. PDA appeared to still be a bit of a problem, despite the clearly deserted sidewalk.

"Cora, someone might see us." Law insisted, even though he didn't make any move to leave Rocinante's side or let go of the jacket, for that matter.

The blond swept the surgeon up into another kiss just for that as he also added some tongue, just to let Law know just how very happy he was to see him. "Let them see then." Rocinante murmured, even though the blond was careful to keep the kiss brief, just in case Law was truly uncomfortable. The aloof manner that Law adopted soon after just made Rocinante smile happily at the surgeon.

"Come home with me today, Cora." Law said as he leaned up on his tiptoes to peck the blond briefly on the cheek, before he started to walk away. “I want to…be with you.”

Rocinante followed along after the dark haired surgeon, smiling happily. He really loved it when Law happened be at odds with himself about something that clearly made him very happy, even if he didn't show it very well.


	28. Chapter 28

"Let's go to the beach today."

Law paused mid step, half in and half out of his room. The dark haired surgeon turned to stare at his roommate as if he had gone insane. Perhaps he had.  It would be the logical conclusion given the fact that Shachi should have known that he had no interest whatsoever in doing what had been suggested.  And for good reason; the public pool wasn’t the only place that he could be harassed.

"Whatever makes you think that I would be interested in going?" The dark haired surgeon wondered if Shachi had gone mad because the red head was grinning at him. Really, Shachi should know better than to think that he'd agree to such a thing. "You do remember what happened last time, don't you?"

"Yeah, you turned down a whole lot of people interested in helping you put on suntan lotion." Shachi said cheerfully.

Law frowned at him. That hadn't been the only thing those people had offered, and even back in the public swimming pool people couldn't keep their hands to themselves in an attempt to cop a feel. "I do not think I will risk being overrun again." The beach was an even more dangerous place for him to go, as there were few places that he could run and hide out of view.

"Come on Law, don’t be like that. It'll be more fun than you think." Shachi insisted, and it was clear that there was something more to the proposed trip than the red head was letting on.

"I'll pass. I like my clothing to be intact." Law said sarcastically, about to turn back to his room when he caught sight of Penguin coming up the stairs to join Shachi. The surgeon eyed his other roommate warily. "You can't change my mind." Law saw that dastardly exchanged look between his two roommates and knew they were up to something after all. It figured. But as soon as Shachi grinned more widely and when he spoke the dark haired surgeon's fate was sealed.

"Rocinante will be there." The red head said with a sly grin. "And he'll probably just be in a pair of swimming trunks."

Law's mind blanked briefly at the thought of so much exposed skin that he hadn't exactly gotten a good look at. Then, realizing what he was doing, Law bristled at his roommate, even though he knew he had lost the argument. "I have some work to get done. I don't have time to go anywhere, let alone the beach."

"He was the one who wanted to go to the beach." Penguin added, clearly in cahoots with the red head beside him. "He really hoped you'd be there if you had some free time."

"…I hate you both." Law said in a deadpan voice, but knew it had no effect whatsoever because both of his roommates merely beamed at him.

And so they went to the beach against the dark haired surgeon's will.

-x-

Law hated the beach. He detested swimming most of the time because he did not like being stared at. And jumped, on the rare occasion when someone couldn't control themselves at the sight of his nearly naked body. So his now tattooed body was wearing a hoodie and some spotted blue jeans, even in warm weather, because Law would be damned if he was going to let anyone other than Rocinante cast an appreciative look over him. In the back of his mind, the surgeon was annoyed that Kidd had had a point. People did seem to act oddly around him whenever he had removed his shirt to reveal tanned skin. Law wasn't sure what the reaction to tanned and now tattooed skin would be, but wasn't about to find out at the beach. The thought was distressing. Besides, Law wanted to show off his new tattoos to Rocinante in a more private place, such as either of their homes.

Those troubling thoughts left Law as soon as Rocinante came into view to join hm. The surgeon mock scowled at Shachi and Penguin as the two other men found excuses to be elsewhere to leave him alone with the officer.

"I take it that you aren't interested in swimming?" Rocinante asked, although he did not sound disappointed in the least. The blond's smile, in fact, deepened when he realized that Law was staring at him as if in a daze. "See something that you like?"

Law had allowed his eyes to rove over Rocinante, his mind telling him what he already knew. That the blond only wore swimming trunks and nothing else. And since Law was fairly certain that Rocinante was slightly older than him, the surgeon was a bit miffed to discover that the blond was in such good shape with those abs. But being a police officer, Law supposed that Rocinante tried to keep in shape. Law was sure that he would never watch Rocinante work out, because he might just jump the blond and Law believed that he had better control over himself than that.

"Law?" Rocinante asked, moving closer.

The dark haired surgeon tilted his head up and saw that Rocinante was looking down at him with a knowing little smile. The surgeon couldn't remember what the other man had asked, as Law had been too busy staring at the blond's chest. And coming to terms with the terrible irony that his swimming trunks with hearts on them. Of course there were hearts. And Rocinante's legs had some attention paid to them, because Law wondered how many of the scars were from the blond's job and how many were from the man's clumsiness. A quick peck on his cheek drew the dark haired surgeon out of his thoughts.

"I think I'll just have to wear these or some boxers at home and see what you do." Rocinante teased, clearly pleased with how distracted Law was with him.

"I'm…I think I, I think I need..." Law was horrified that he was stumbling over his words. What was wrong with him?

Rocinante's smile was happy, even if he said nothing.

"I need a drink." Law managed to get out.

“I’ll wait for you here.”

The surgeon hastily backtracked to the sea side shack that was nearby, Rocinante's soft laughter trailing after him. Inside the shack, Law did get some water, mainly because he figured he needed to cool off. For whatever reason he had for that; the sight of the blond had riled him up in what he felt was an absurd way. Law didn't leave to rejoin Rocinante right away, as he wasn't sure he could handle so much distraction. But he should have, because another, more unpleasant distraction came in to his immediate sight.

"Hey, doc, didn't think you'd be at the beach.  Thought you said you weren't gonna go flash your tats to the world."

Eustass Kidd.

What was he doing there to make things even more awkward than they already were?

“I do as I please.” Law turned immediately to leave, as he did not want to give Kidd a chance to do anything. "It really isn't your business." Rocinante. He needed to get back to Rocinante. After the last time that Law had seen the red head in the tattoo parlor, he had been unimpressed with Kidd’s inability to stop flirting with him.

"Going somewhere already?" Kidd asked as he casually stepped in front of Law to cut off the surgeon's path to the door.

"Yes. I don't have anything to say to you after you did that in the parlor." Law said as he tried to go past Kidd. He didn't make it far, as suddenly the surgeon found himself steered backward toward a wall. "What are you doing?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Kidd grumbled irritably.

"What don't I get?" Law asked. "Is it the fact that you are incapable if getting out of my way when it is clear that I want to leave?"

"No, it’s not that.” The red head muttered sourly in return. “It's that I don’t get why you’re so damn oblivious to the fact that you're fucking sexy as hell." Kidd frowned at Law. "Did you really not notice how much you were affecting me whenever you showed up to have your tattoo worked on?"

"I fail to see how that would affect you." Law said. "Is it not normal for you to perhaps hit on your other customers too?" The surgeon smirked. "Perhaps they will send you to the hospital again and someone else can have your attentions, since you seem so eager to do so."

"Fuck."  Kidd groaned. "See? That's exactly what I was tryin' to tell you about." The red head loomed closer, Law's back almost against a wall. "I was serious when I said I wanted to go out with you."

"And I told you I was already seeing someone." Law let out an aggravated sigh. "I thought you were joking about that yesterday." The dark haired surgeon was confused, but he pushed that aside as a thought crossed his mind. In a vaguely intrigued tone, Law asked. "You are interested in men?"

"Not really, no. I tried it out once a few years back, just to see what it was like." Kidd said with a shrug, before he gave Law an exasperated look. "And who the hell takes someone asking them out that as a joke? Other than you, that is."

"I don't know why you're even bothering right now. I told you the last time that I wasn't interested." Law pondered how many times he would have to state it before the red head got it through his thick skull.

Kidd scowled. "Damn, you really are blunt." The red head cornered Law against the nearest wall, boxing the dark haired surgeon in with his hands. "I probably wouldn't have given you a second glance but I liked how sarcastic you were. And you were comfortable enough around me to just whip your shirt off in the tattoo shop like you did."

"But the shirt needed to be removed for the tattoo." Law pointed out as he tensed defensively against the wall. He did not like the way that Kidd was preventing him from leaving easily, nor the way he had him trapped against the wall. "Someone is waiting for me to come back."

"The person you're 'seeing'?" Kidd asked as he loomed over Law. He had enough height to pull it off. "I still think you're lying about that. If you were, you'd be flaunting her, wouldn't you?"

"Whoever said it was a 'her'?" Law asked, smirking despite himself.

Kidd leered. "So you're into guys then, huh?"

Law gave a shrug; one to mirror Kidd's earlier one. "I wasn't 'into' anyone until I met him. I doubt I'll ever be interested in anyone else." The dark haired surgeon was fairly certain about that fact. No one else ever made him feel the same way, and he knew with almost perfect certainty the he would never find someone else like Rocinante.

"How do you know?"  Kidd obviously took offense to that because he leaned over more closely to look Law in the eye. "He's just the first person you're going out with. How do you know that you'll stay with him?"

"I've been with him for nearly two years." Law said archly. "If you're trying to offer yourself, I have to inform you that your efforts will be wasted."

"Well, there's no harm in trying, right?" Kidd questioned in return with a wolfish grin.

Law didn't get a chance to say anything else because Kidd suddenly pinned his upper arms to the wall. The dark haired surgeon froze in complete and utter shock as the red head closed the distance between them and kissed him.

What the hell?

Law squirmed uncomfortably as one of Kidd's legs slid forward between his to nudge his crotch and really, that was something the dark haired man didn't like one bit. But Law couldn't say so because Kidd was too busy giving him a very thorough kiss that was not at all like the ones that the surgeon shared with Rocinante. Kidd's was far more aggressive and demanding.

The way Kidd all but licked and nipped his way into the surgeon’s mouth was nothing like what he had experienced with Rocinante. The blond had always made sure that he was comfortable before venturing to see if Law were interested in more than what was usually a chaste kiss. Law did not like the way Kidd pressed him to the wall as he took his time exploring the inside of his mouth was and that not something Rocinante would ever do to him unless he wanted to hold him closer; not away. And the way that Kidd’s knee slowly ground into his crotch in what appeared to be an attempt to arouse him was something that turned out to be more unpleasant than anything.

But most of all, Law did not like the way that Kidd had just forced himself on him.

The dark haired surgeon didn’t like it.

At all.

Law couldn't believe that this was happening to him. Hadn't he made it clear before that he wasn't interested in Kidd? The surgeon guessed not, since he was trapped against a wall with Kidd's knee grinding against him like it was supposed to put him in the mood or something. It did the quite the opposite, in fact, but Law doubted that Kidd would even care if he noticed, and the surgeon didn't think that that was a good thing.

The situation was made even more uncomfortable when Law realized just how much stronger Kidd was than him. The way he had him pinned made it nearly impossible to break the kiss that the red head had him locked in to. The dark haired surgeon felt that Kidd was doing this simply because he wanted to, and could. It irked Law to no end that it seemed as if Kidd believed that what he was doing was in acceptable. Which it wasn't, at all. Law started to try and free himself in earnest at the very thought. The dark haired man's mood was not improved when Kidd merely laughed into the kiss and readjusted his grip to prevent escape.

Kidd's hands rested heavily against Law's upper arms but the surgeon realized that the red head had loosened his grip on one arm moment's later. Why though? Wasn't the point to try and stop him from getting away? Wasn't that why Kidd had pinned him to the wall in the first place and had his knee where it was? The reason why the red head had let go with one hand became apparent very quickly as Law felt the same hand go up beneath his hoodie. Law made a distressed sound into the kiss and managed to briefly break away from it as the Kidd's hand trailed along lazily.

"Stop." Law managed to say breathlessly. "Stop it."

"You don't seem to mind it too much." Kidd breathed against the surgeon's neck. "Or your body doesn't, at least. Seriously, you need to get out more often if you're stiff like this all the time."

As soon as Law felt teeth graze against his collarbone, the surgeon found the leverage he needed when Kidd moved his other hand. Law acted accordingly and with no remorse whatsoever. Kidd deserved it anyway for not listening to him.

The red head let out a pained yelp as Law's clenched fist socked him in the gut with more power than the surgeon ought to have had. A knee to the crotch followed immediately after, and the pain it caused sent Kidd down to his knees with a curse.

"Fuck, what the hell?"

Law made his escape with all haste before Kidd could try anything else. He didn't doubt that the red head would try to corner him again if he could. And perhaps it would be to rough him up instead.

"Don't follow me." Law said irritably, as he moved quickly toward the exit when he heard Kidd laugh in return.

"You don't have to be an ass about it. Admit it, you liked it."

Law continued to walk, but he lifted his left hand to give Kidd the middle finger. It only made the red head roar with laughter, but Law felt better about the whole situation because he had managed to insult the red head. It was a small victory, but Law would take it. The surgeon wanted to get to Rocinante anyway, because he felt that in doing so it would dissuade Kidd. Law hoped that the blond was still nearby, and was deeply relieved when he saw that Rocinante had stayed right where he had left him.

It was at times like this that it made the surgeon very relieved that when the officer said that he would wait for him, he would.

-x-

Rocinante was just thinking back on how incredibly cute Law had been stumbling over his words at the sight of him. It made the blond pleased that he had that much of an effect on the surgeon, and looked forward to trying it again in the privacy of one of their homes. Rocinante smiled happily at the image of Law awkwardly excusing himself to get water. The blond haired man was pleased that Law's roommates had managed to get him out of the house today. Rocinante wasn't sure if he would have been able to manage that on his own without a lot of pressure and he didn't want to do that to Law, even if he let the surgeon's roommates do that instead.

Rocinante's warm and fuzzy thoughts about the dark haired man left him and concern took its place when he caught sight of Law wordlessly emerging from the sea side shack. Rocinante was happy but confused that Law immediately went over to his side, and was about to speak to him when the blond caught sight of Kidd emerging from the same building seconds later. Rocinante draped an arm over Law's shoulder automatically and instinctively drew him closer to his side at the red head's expression.

Kidd.

What was he doing here?

Rocinante cast a look between Law and the approaching red head, and started to speak. "What's wrong, L-"

"Is it this guy?" Kidd cut the other man's words off as he cast a brief eye over Rocinante.

"It is." Law confirmed as he pressed himself more closely to the blond's side. "So why don't you go and harass someone else?"

Rocinante felt that something had happened between the two of them, because Law was willingly pressing himself to his side as physically close as possible. To his bare skin. Obviously something was on the surgeon's mind if he wasn't shy and awkward like he'd been before. Rocinante lifted his gaze to settle on Kidd's, and let a little coldness seep in.

“Shit. What the hell?” It seemed that that look was enough for the red head to identify Rocinante, as Kidd's amber eyes widened a bit upon recognition. "Why would you want to date a cop?" As quickly as the surprise had come, it was gone and Kidd was grinning as he dared to add. "You should go out with me instead. We could have more fun."

Rocinante felt Law wrap an arm around one of his, and tightly at that, as the surgeon responded to Kidd, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"That is unlikely to ever happen. You are too full of yourself to see that. I'd like to see you try what you did with a woman. Someone would probably beat you half to death." Law didn’t calm in the slightest when Rocinante’s fingertips lightly caressed his shoulder, concern evident on the blond’s face.

"I don't know…it sure didn't seem that way a minute ago." Kidd said, undeterred despite the fact he knew that he was in the presence of a police officer, even if he happened to be off duty.

"What?" Rocinante asked. His tone was guarded as he slid a glance down at Law for explanation. It struck the blond as strange that the surgeon didn't immediately have an answer, and in fact seemed to be upset in one way or another. Rocinante flicked his gaze to Kidd again and settled against Law in a reassuring way as he pondered what the red head could have done, and whether or not he could arrest the other man. And then the red head stupidly went and told him, and Rocinante wasn't sure whether to arrest, punch, or drive off the other man.

"I mean, you're a good kisser and all, but the point is that you're supposed to participate too. Not just stand there." Kidd was oblivious to the potential danger straight in front of him.

"And who said I wanted that kiss? You don't listen at all!" Law snapped irritably, not realizing that that was enough to set Rocinante off, if not what Kidd had said moments before.

There was utter silence before Rocinante suddenly lunged at Kidd and managed to seize him by the front of his shirt to drag him up on tiptoe. "Are you implying that you kissed Law?"

"I did." Kidd said smugly, not realizing that he was digging a deeper hole for himself. The red head clearly didn’t seem to see a problem with kissing Law.

"And you did so when he didn't want you to?" Rocinante pressed, not sure how Kidd could be so calm. The blond was a bit amused that Kidd didn't like that he was taller and able to keep him on tiptoe, and made sure to lift him just a little higher.

The motion made the red head curse.

"Cora, don't." Law said as he kept his arms wrapped firmly around Rocinante's other arm. "It doesn't matter. He's just an idiot."

"Hey!" Kidd protested, offended, though he shut up as soon as he noticed the arm in Law's grip twitch, as if the blond longed to punch or otherwise cause him bodily harm.

Rocinante supposed that it was a good thing the surgeon held him as he did, otherwise Kidd may have found himself being punched. And he didn't want to stoop to this fool's level. Besides, Rocinante didn't want to get arrested himself for beating someone else up, even if he felt Kidd deserved it for touching Law when the other man clearly didn't want him to. Though he hadn't witnessed it, Rocinante knew from Law's body language that he was clearly uncomfortable and wanted to leave right now and by himself if he had to. Rocinante didn't want him to go alone, so he would have to deal with Kidd in a faster manner than he wished. Rocinante narrowed his eyes.

"Shit." Kidd said again, immediately trying to free himself. He stopped when Rocinante's grip tightened, and the red head clearly saw something in the blond's eyes that he didn't like.

"If he tells you not to do something like that again, then don't do it. If it does happen again, I'll arrest you for harassment." Rocinante overrode anything Kidd might have said by adding, "And I won't hesitate to let Killer know that you've been skipping out on your meetings and community service. I expect you'll hear from someone on that matter soon."

"Fuck, I thought I got outta that shit already." Kidd groaned as he freed himself from Rocinante's grasp. “Dammit.” The red head pretended that he was able to get loose because he was able to do so, and not because Rocinante had allowed him to. But Kidd didn't do anything other than throw a baleful glare blond's way before he slunk off, clearly not wanting to be arrested or to have his friend told that he'd been skipping out on some things.

"He's a criminal?" Law questioned as soon as the red head was out of sight. The surgeon appeared to then realize where he was and what he was doing and immediately let go of Rocinante. It was as if Law felt that it was a crime for him to be touching the other man's bare skin.

“Not really.” Rocinante wouldn't have minded if Law had continued to hang off his arm like that. He would have enjoyed more contact, actually. "He's just a punk who can't control himself very well. He had some altercations with some street gang some months ago. It didn't end well for them but Kidd was making a nuisance of himself after that had occurred that he needed to be dealt with." Rocinante shook his head, though now he was feeling a bit guilty because Law looked confused, perhaps from his sudden actions. "Let's go to my apartment."

Law followed along after Rocinante reluctantly, and the blond wasn't sure what to make of that either. It was almost as if the surgeon didn’t want to, and Rocinante would discover some time later that it was because of the way he had said it. That he had made it sound as if Law had to go back to his apartment with him, no questions asked. Rocinante would eventually learn that Law detested anyone telling him what to do, and that the blond haired officer just happened to get away with it more often because Law happened to like him a lot.


	29. Chapter 29

The walk back to the apartment was a long one, and most of it was spent in silence, until the two men boarded the train.

Law had barely sat down when he felt Rocinante sit right next to him and slip a hand into his. The surgeon noted that the grip was tighter than usual. "Cora?" Law inquired as he cast a half glance the officer's way.

"Are you all right?" Rocinante asked, even if his eyes were staring straight ahead. "He didn't...do anything else to you, did he?"

"Of course he didn’t. I would not have allowed it." The surgeon said, a little crossly. "He merely caught me off guard." And Kidd had. If Law had had an idea of what the red head had in mind, he would have gotten out of there instead of allowing Kidd to back him into a corner.

"He could have done something else." Rocinante said as he finally turned his head Law's way. "Why didn't you call for help? I wasn't that far away from. I would have heard you."

"That...hadn't occurred to me." Law gave Rocinante more of a haughty look than he meant to. "Besides, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Thugs?" The blond haired officer asked innocently, his hand tightening around the surgeon's. It seemed like that particular incident was always going to haunt Rocinante as to the what-if’s of what could have happened to the surgeon if he had not come along when he did.

Law felt a pang of annoyance at that. "I punched him in the gut and kneed him. Eustass was not going to be doing anything else." Really, had the dark haired surgeon been more aware, he would not have even allowed Kidd the chance to kiss him.

Rocinante let out a soft laugh at that and rested his chin on Law's head. They were the only ones on the train, so the blond obviously knew that the surgeon wouldn't mind.

Law didn't mind, but he knew that something was wrong. The dark haired man couldn't figure out what, however, because Rocinante said nothing the rest of the trip back to the officer's apartment. If Law didn't know better, he would have thought that Rocinante was hurt, emotion-wise.

The blond didn't say anything until the door to the apartment had been closed. Rocinante rounded on Law and his voice was a bit raised; upset yet not quite angry. It was mainly just disappointed.

"Why didn't you tell me that Kidd had been bothering you? Has he been doing that since I was out of the city? Has he…has he kissed you before?" Rocinante struggled with his words, as if he couldn't comprehend them. As if the idea was ludicrous.

"The beach was the first time he managed the kiss. He couldn't after dinner one night, weeks ago, so I felt that I could handle him on my own. I didn't want you to worry about me while you were on the job anyway. It sounded stressful, from what you had said, and I didn't want to add to that." Law said in reply, even if he wasn't sure why Rocinante needed to know. The surgeon had already made it clear that he didn't like Kidd, so why did it matter now?

"I know that you don't like to ask for help, Law, but…" Rocinante took a breath and let it out. "…but it would be nice if you weren't so oblivious sometimes…"

"I am not oblivious." Law denied immediately. "Eustass would not take the hint that I was not interested in him. And I don't know why he would be in the first place." The surgeon looked away. "I fail to see why someone like him would be interested in me anyway. He clearly has more free time than I do if he sits around and thinks about me…"

"See, you _are_ oblivious." Rocinante said, suddenly standing closer to the surgeon. A bit of a reproachful hurt entered the blond’s voice as he added. “And do I have too much free time when I think about you?”

“No, not at all.” Law said, even if he looked perplexed. “I don’t mind if you think about me, but why would you?” The surgeon was baffled as another hurt look crossed Rocinante’s face. What did he say wrong now? He’d asked a fair question, hadn’t he? Law held still as the blond drew closer, and wasn’t sure what to make of the calculating look that had come over the other man’s face. “Cora? Did you hear me?"

“…yes, it’s just-”

“Why think of me and how am I oblivious?” Law cut in, genuinely curious.

“…I love you, so I love thinking about you.” Rocinante let out a frustrated breath before he awkwardly ran a hand through his hair. “I like to think about how we’re together. It makes me happy.” The blond let his hand drop and added. “And as to you being oblivious, do you really not know that just about anyone would tell you that you are very attractive, if asked?”

“But why?” Law shook his head, not about to drop the issue. "Why would someone think that? I don't see why-" The dark haired surgeon was cut off mid-sentence as Rocinante closed the distance between them to kiss him. Law let out a muffled gasp as the blond hefted him up with his arms beneath his ass to better align him for the kiss. Law hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Rocinante's neck, mainly to prevent himself from falling backwards as he moaned softly into the kiss. That was rather unexpected, but Law was absurdly pleased in a weird way that Rocinante decided that his living room was as good a place as any to start an impromptu make out.

"Law." Rocinante breathed into the kiss, before he resumed it with more enthusiasm than usual.

While it was still their kiss, a slow and sensual one, there was an edge of possessiveness to it today. The dark haired surgeon had a feeling Kidd had to do with it. Quite inappropriately, Law had noticed that Rocinante was much stronger than he was, just as Kidd had been earlier. Law noticed this as soon as Rocinante had lifted him up off the floor with no problem whatsoever. The surgeon was just grateful that he had not been dropped in the process. Law tentatively licked Rocinante's lips and let out a muffled laugh becuase it had caused the blond to stumble backwards. And as it was Rocinante, the blond haired man ended up tripping over the rug and backward onto the couch of the living room.

"Sorry." Rocinante managed to say as soon as he was certain he wasn't about to fall off the couch as well.

Law shook his head fondly against the blond's chest as the other man righted himself up against the back of the couch. Law noted that Rocinante remained slightly slumped to allow their heights to be a non-issue. The surgeon made a thin sound as Rocinante slid a hand beneath him again, and in fact gently cupped his ass. The motion caused the surgeon to lean up against the blond to kiss him again.

Rocinante made a contented sound into the kiss as he slid his other hand up Law's hoodie, fingertips stroking the tanned skin lightly. "You're shaking." The blond noted, as he broke the kiss to nuzzle along the side of Law's throat to leave lazy kisses. "Are you all right? Do you want me to stop?"

"Not yet." Law mumbled, and could say no more as Rocinante chose that moment to lift his head back up to lock lips with him again. The surgeon moaned softly as the blond licked his lips, searching, and after a moment Law realized that he ought to part his lips and let Rocinante in. Law mumbled something helplessly into the kiss as the blond's tongue began its thorough exploration of his mouth. Law enjoyed the kiss immensely, and it was different from the one Kidd had given him because he realized that the blond left it open to him to break the kiss at any time.  It made the surgeon want to kiss him even more, and Law found the feeling of Rocinante's hand trailing along his bare skin was...nice.  It felt so much more familiar than Kidd’s rough hand making a mini conquest of his skin.

The way that Rocinante's hand was so sure as it trailed along made Law want to almost, almost tell him to use his other hand as well. Except for the fact that that hand was currently beneath his ass, and the blond seemed to be quite content to leave it there. At least until Rocinante gave it a squeeze and Law let out a muffed sound of indignation into the kiss. Law nearly rolled his eyes at the soft chuckle into the kiss he received in return. But the surgeon flushed slightly when he noticed that Rocinante had slipped his hand around to the front of his pants to cop a feel, so to speak, while his other hand continued to trace patterns on his skin. Law realized that those motions were doing interesting things to his body, and while Law wasn't quite sure what to make of it, he allowed it to continue for now, because it wasn't a bad feeling.

At least until Rocinante's hand, the one that had done quite a thorough inspection of his jean clad backside and had moved to the front had gone and unbuttoned and un-zipped the pants in an instant. The content, slightly aroused feelings vanished. Law was not comfortable with Rocinante trying to ease him out of his pants right now, no matter how good Law was currently feeling with the blond's touch. It was a little too quick for him, and said as much with a quick exhale and the words. "Cora." The surgeon couldn’t help but buck his hips when one large hand cupped his brief covered crotch in question, and the sensation of the hand as it gently palmed his trapped, half hard dick was something that ordinarily might have been nice. But Law really, really felt the need to let Rocinante know his discomfort. "Cora, stop."

Rocinante was apparently too immersed in kissing Law to really take heed of the surgeon's soft words as he went back to kissing the surgeon on the lips. Even if his hands had slowed their movements, it was not quick enough for the surgeon. Especially because the hand on his...nether regions was quite distracting as Rocinante had started to ease Law out of his boxers. If Law hadn’t been too overwhelmed he might have even been able to enjoy the sensation of the blond’s hand wrapping around his cock and giving it a slow stroke, thumb giving the tip a slow circle.

Law made a thin moan as Rocinante gave another stroke to his dick, and wondered why the blond hadn’t noticed that he wasn’t getting any harder. If anything, Law was sure that he would go limp at any moment because he was stating to freak out over the fact that Rocinante hadn’t stopped yet. And he had said he would if the surgeon wanted him to stop. With a panicked buck of his hips that only drove his cock into the circle that Rocinante’s hand had made, the surgeon managed to break free of the kiss. With shaky hands, Law reached up and seized the blond's cheeks before he could try to lean in to continue the kiss.

"Cora." Law said sharply, and when he was sure that Rocinante had made eye contact with him added firmly, with a shaky exhalation. "Please stop. It’s too much." The surgeon couldn't manage more than that, and he hadn't meant it in a bad way. He just couldn’t think of any other way to get Rocinante to stop absently stroking his dick. Law might have been all right with a hand job but felt that he would have preferred it had Rocinante went about things more slowly. It wasn't as if Law were opposed to this continuing, but he had to mentally prepare himself and he had not been able to.

Rocinante finally seemed to realize what he was doing, and stared at Law for a moment before a faintly mortified expression crossed his face. And then a guilty one, when he seemed to realize that he had Law half naked on his lap.

And Law was not at all hard.

Much to Law's surprise, the blond gently let go of him all together before reaching up to carefully ease Law’s hands from his cheeks. Still wearing a rather ashamed expression, Rocinante briefly kissed the bandages around Law’s wrists before he let go. Rocinante gently moved Law to one side of the couch, off of his lap.

Law's breath was still accelerated as he looked up at Rocinante in a dazed way, wondering what the other man was up to. Law continued to stare, although he was utterly confused when Rocinante rose from the couch and hastily went into his room.

And closed the door.

Law stared at the closed door, despite the fact that he was still half naked with his very obviously limp cock in full view of anyone who might have happened upon him in the apartment.

What?

What was all that about?

Law blinked, before he sagged against the back of the couch with a sigh. He hadn't meant for Rocinante to completely stop, and Law felt that he had to do something drastic to get the blond to understand that he was only interested in being with him. And that Kidd's actions had angered the surgeon because the red head couldn't get it through his head that he wasn't interested in him. It wasn’t like Law would have opposed what Rocinante had been doing; he’d just needed to be better forewarned.

Law stared at Rocinante's bedroom door again as he mulled things over in his mind. The dark haired surgeon spent the next half hour trying to work up the nerve to follow through on those drastic measures. Those measures involved one of the books that Shachi had lent to him. But what he had come across...it was not something he could try out on himself, for obvious reasons, and really, he was not that limber, nor did he wish to be. Law was fairly certain that Rocinante wouldn't mind him testing it out on him, however, and the thought thrilled Law that he was going to be able to surprise the other man. If only Law could manage to get himself go into Rocinante's bedroom and follow through on his plan.

Unbeknownst to Rocinante, Law had actually gotten himself tested at the hospital, and had managed to do the same for Rocinante under the guise of it being for something else. He’d had both of them checked a few times over the course of a few months, and nothing worrying turned up in the results. Law just wasn’t sure if he could ever have sex without a condom until he wrapped his mind around the idea that there was nothing either of them had to worry about transferring to the other. He figured that Rocinante wouldn’t mind using a condom if Law even worked up the nerve or desire to try and have sex with him sometime in the future.

Law had only gone through with the tests because he knew, sometime down the line in their relationship, that the topic of sex would likely be brought up. Law would rather be prepared for that than not at all. But for now, he’d take it day by day.

And right now, as the dark haired surgeon went toward the bedroom, he very much doubted that Rocinante would have locked the door. That made things marginally easier for what Law had in mind.


	30. Chapter 30

Rocinante wondered why he had acted so forcefully, even though it appeared as if Law had been enjoying the sudden kiss. And enthusiastically, at that. And then Rocinante had to go and ruin it by trying to get Law off. It was something he just happened to try and do during any of their other make outs; he just hadn't really thought about it until he's done it. And really, the way that Law had reacted when he cupped him with one hand just inside those pants, and the little moans that came from him touching him...if Law still wasn't sure about sex after he'd had him all the way out of those snug fitting jeans, Rocinante would have been more than happy to just run a hand over him, as he had been. The blond had loved the sounds that the surgeon had made when he'd done so before, and had been happy with how cuddly Law had been afterward.

The blond haired man shook his head as feelings of guilt swept over him again. Rocinante felt as if he'd forced himself on Law a little more than he'd meant to, and he couldn't use Kidd as an excuse for doing so. Rocinante hoped that Law wasn't mad with him since he'd stopped, but from the way he'd heard Law say it, it was obvious that the surgeon had already said it once before, perhaps more, and the blond haired man hadn't heard him. And that made Rocinante feel terrible that he'd started to do something that Law didn't want him to and he had to remove himself from the situation.

Rocinante let out a long, drawn out sigh as he flopped over onto his back on his bed and stretched. He'd overreacted to what had happened between Law and Kidd as well. He hadn't even taken into consideration at the time how Law must have felt when Kidd had cornered him and kissed him, especially if Law had told the red head he wasn't interested. And he, Rocinante, had felt incredibly jealous and defensive, so it hadn't even occurred to him until the train ride to ask Law if he was all right. Rocinante growled something under his breath before he let out another sigh. He wondered if he should have just stayed on the couch with Law and tried to explain that it would have been fine to tell him that Kidd was pestering him, before things went out of control as they had.

The blond haired man felt as if he should not have gone to sulk in his room, because Law was probably confused right now. And really, it was Rocinante's fault for not hearing Law tell him to stop, and he only hoped that the surgeon would forgive him for the misstep. After all, he'd told Law before that he'd stop when the surgeon got uncomfortable. Rocinante's mind drifted briefly back to their earlier conversation, and the blond still couldn't believe that Law hadn't even thought to ask for help.

Rocinante gave his head a little shake as a thought came to mind as an explanation for some of his musings. The blond kept forgetting that Law was still a socially awkward individual and probably very rarely asked for help outside of his job. Hell, even Shachi and Penguin seemed to just assist Law with the household chores without saying anything, as Law obviously felt he could do everything on his own.

But it didn't change the fact that Rocinante felt hurt that Law hadn't told him about Kidd. Or at least tell him that he had met the red head. Rocinante was still puzzling over where he would have met Kidd and supposed that like Luffy, the red head could have been a patient at the hospital. But no, Law had said nothing and had not even given Rocinante an inkling that he had met the red head. But at the same time, Rocinante felt that it was just like Law to try and manage things on his own.

"Law..." Rocinante wondered if the surgeon was going to wait in the apartment for him to come out before leaving because he'd want to talk. The blond haired officer decided that he would rest his eyes for a few minutes to try and center himself and be prepared for whatever other reasons Law had to give him regarding what had happened. Rocinante was sure that the surgeon would have a perfectly reasonable explanation as to where he'd run into Kidd from, and Rocinante was probably going to feel like a fool when he heard it.

Rocinante was briefly distracted from his scattered thoughts when he thought that he heard his bedroom door open. Rocinante immediately dismissed the sound, as he doubted that it would be Law. He was hearing things that he wanted to hear, so Rocinante clearly must have imagined it.

"Law…" Rocinante mumbled under his breath again as he stretched out and settled into a doze. The blond vaguely began to wonder why Law wasn't as sassy around him as he appeared to be around other people, Kidd included. Rocinante rather liked the attitude, because it was different than what he had come to expect from Law. The blond would have even been happy if Law could be more forceful and initiate things between them, such as their make out sessions that seemed to occur either somewhere in his apartment or at the surgeon's house.

The blond haired officer let out a sigh. Why was he even thinking about this now? Rocinante believed that he was being overly hopeful for something that was unlikely to occur any time soon.

Rocinante blushed slightly as he suddenly recalled the time that Law had offered to come to his apartment when he'd been sick with a cold to give him a checkup. At the time, Rocinante had thought that the other man's tone implied that said checkup would involve the removal of his clothes. But that probably wasn't to happen any time soon either, if ever. Not unless he mentioned it and only when Law was in the mood; maybe then he’d do something like that. Rocinante shifted, his brow furrowing slightly when he felt as if he were being maneuvered out of his pants. The blond most certainly felt as if his briefs were being removed as well. Odd, but Rocinante assumed that it was just because he was half asleep and had it in mind that he would have liked for Law to touch him again, even if it was just to hug him.

The blond haired man's brow furrowed further at the sensation of hands on his bare thighs and decided that that would be nice too. Rocinante made a soft sound as the hand trailed along the skin of his inner thighs. He was having a very realistic daydream. It would be even better if Law spoke to him, but Rocinante highly doubted that Law would be comfortable enough for any dirty talk. Or maybe he'd be fine. The dark haired surgeon could be sarcastic at times, so Rocinante was fairly certain that Law would be good at it.

The hands that were on Rocinante's thighs paused in their motions as a voice spoke up in an incredulous yet amused tone.

"I haven't even touched you there yet."

Rocinante made another soft sound as his head turned to the side as his brow furrowed ever so slightly. That sure sounded like something Law would say, and if Rocinante could have spoken he would have said that it was because the surgeon was touching him. It would follow that was going to react to him if he did that. Rocinante decided to let himself dream a bit more before he'd have to shake himself out of his daze and have that talk with Law.

"Are you sure you're not awake?"

The voice sure sounded like Law's. Rocinante would have loved to be awake, but the blond was too out of it to say anything intelligible so he merely let out a sigh as he enjoyed the sensation of those hands on his thighs before he felt them settle more heavily as a body seemed to lean forward. Rocinante let out a faint, bewildered moan and twitched slightly at a tentative lick to his cock, which immediately seemed to twitch to life at a few more light swipes of a tongue.

The blond would have slapped himself awake had he realized that his vivid daydream wasn't what it seemed. Besides, Rocinante highly doubted that Law would jump straight to giving him oral if he'd never been in a relationship with anyone, man or woman, and had only done a hand job once before. There was only so much a book could tell one anyway, even though Rocinante amused himself for a moment at the idea of Law reading up on giving a blow job to someone. It seemed like something the surgeon would do.

But still, that tongue sure felt realistic, as did that mouth when it closed over the tip of his dick and all of a sudden, Rocinante felt a little too aroused to be merely having an erotic daydream. And he certainly wouldn’t be aware of a tongue that carefully made its way round the tip before lightly pressing against the tip. There were limits to daydreams, and that sudden sucking was very, very distracting and the fact that Rocinante was reacting so strongly to the mouth that was halfway sealed over his dick was rather bizarre. Sure, Rocinante jerked off occasionally to the thought of Law and himself doing something, but the blond would have never admitted it aloud because he felt that that would have scared Law away.

The mouth retreated and before the blond could let out a faint whine at the loss of that sensation a familiar voice spoke and caused Rocinante to still.

"Cora? Are you awake?"

Rocinante was frozen in utter shock and ended up shuddering faintly as the tongue returned and briefly licked the tip of his cock again.

Holy shit.

He wasn't dreaming, was he?

Rocinante jerked all the way into full alertness and was left with the same sensation of someone going down on him and that just was too bizarre not to lift his head. It was as if someone else had come into the room, but his eyes told him otherwise. Rocinante's gaze settled on Law, and the surgeon smirked back at him around what he had in his mouth, as if it weren't embarrassing. Instead, Law appeared to enjoy the shocked look that Rocinante was sure he now wore. The blond haired man watched as one of Law's hand curled around what his mouth couldn't handle and gave it a light squeeze as the surgeon hummed something in amusement.

Holy _shit._

Rocinante stared at Law for a moment before he allowed his head drop back down onto the bed. Rocinante let out a faint sound as he mumbled in an almost delirious way. "Dreaming…I must still be dreaming…" The blond shuddered softly as Law laughed faintly and resumed his motions, and really, Rocinante's mind was malfunctioning from the sole fact that Law was attempting to give him a blow job. And doing a decent job of it even though Rocinante doubted he'd ever given one or even received one before.

It was something that Rocinante had never expected to wake up to and certainly not with that smirk that Law had given him despite it being otherwise occupied. But whatever the reason, it felt really, really good and it caused Rocinante to go limp and boneless on the bed with a thin whimper. Rocinante did manage to smile faintly after a few moments when it seemed as if Law had had enough and replaced his mouth with his other hand. Not that Rocinante could have noticed the difference either way with how close he felt that he was, nor how shamelessly he had started to try and buck his hips into Law’s hands with a fairly desperate whine in the back of his throat.

Rocinante was startled when Law suddenly went down on him in a way that it made it seem as if was trying to swallow his dick and that was it for him. It was shocking enough that the surgeon was doing this in the first place but being so aggressive as he was right now.

Law seemed to sense how close the blond was because he adjusted to that he could get all of the blond’s cock down his throat, and used one hand to palm his balls. Like he’d done this before even though Rocinante knew better and couldn’t believe he’d gotten this all out of a book.

Rocinante threw his head back against the bed with a choked, surprised sound with another suck and gentle caress of that hand, and that was it for him. Rocinante's mind blanked out for a time and he wasn't sure how long he took to have his mind come back online after all that, but it was long enough. Mainly because Law was suddenly lying half over him and kissing him and wow, Rocinante wouldn't have thought that Law was the type to swallow and wait a minute shouldn’t he not have done that because-

"Cora?"

"Hm?" Rocinante hummed, still dazed and again wondering if he were perhaps dreaming after all.

"Was that…all right?" Law asked, as if unsure that the blond's current state was his doing or the orgasm itself. "The books were rather vague, but I did try what it suggested. I would have tried it out, but as I would only be willing to try it out on you..." Law gave a half shrug and continued. "Apparently there are parts of the-"

"S'good, Law." Rocinante cut in, even if his words were faintly garbled. But it partially because Law had started to reel off in a matter of fact tone something he'd read and that may have set the blond off and Rocinante very much doubted that Law would be willing to try for a second round. Even for practice. And Rocinante honestly had no more words to say because Law had shocked him so much, but then he remembered another worry.

“You should have used a condom, Law.” The blond said worriedly. “What if-”

“I got us tested. There isn’t anything to worry about.” Law said shortly. “But I would want to use a condom for a time for…other things.” The surgeon fidgeted for a moment before he sat up and stared down at Rocinante.

“Law?” Rocinante still appeared out of it, although this time around it was likely because Law had thought to get them tested and he wasn’t sure when that had happened but it also meant that Law was thinking ahead and did that mean that he would be willing to try and have sex some time and if so-

“Now you’re the one doing too much thinking, Cora.” Law seemed to be pleased by the blond’s reaction, though the surgeon's devious little smirk had returned. “I think I can help you with that.”

Rocinante sincerely hoped that Law wasn't actually going to go down on him a second time, even though he would not have complained at all. Instead, Law surprised him again by slipping out of his shirt. Rocinante just stared. He couldn't help it, and the reason for the dark haired surgeon removing the shirt was obvious.

There was a large tattoo across his chest in the shape of a heart that Law had never mentioned before, and the way the surgeon suddenly appeared to be self-conscious about it clearly meant something.

But what?

-x-

Law wondered why it was so much harder to take his clothing off in front of Rocinante than it had been with Kidd in the tattoo parlor. But with the blond so calm right now, the dark haired surgeon wanted to show him the tattoos that he had gotten. But Law averted his eyes as soon as he was bare chested and heard the sharp intake of breath from Rocinante. "I only went to the tattoo parlor that Eustass works at to get this tattoo." Law forced himself to make eye contact with Rocinante. "I was getting tired of having to reassure you all of the time that I wasn't going to leave you or go out with anyone else. So I got this."

"Law, that's…" Rocinante trailed off as he slowly eased himself into a seated position. The blond carefully searched Law’s face before he reached out to lightly trace the tattoo with his fingertips.

"Since your coworkers use Corazon as a nickname, it made me think of a heart." Law continued.

"And this?" Rocinante asked as he tapped the swirl design going up either of the surgeon's shoulder, and then the blobs lining the outside of the heart. "What are they?"

"Fire and feathers." Law said quietly. He was starting to become horrified with himself for doing this now that he was actually showing Rocinante the tattoos.

Rocinante seemed to struggle for a moment before he wordlessly tapped the smiley face with his forefinger.

"I…I like your smile…" Law said, mortified by now. He hadn't imagined very well how sappy and sentimental this could come off as, and it most certainly was. Law was fairly certain that there were tears forming in Rocinante’s eyes and he wasn’t sure why.

"Law?"

"Yes?" The surgeon desperately attempted to retain eye contact.

"You got a tattoo to represent me. Why?" The tears were still there, but the voice made it sound as if they were going to be happy tears when they finally started to fall. There was no accusation in Rocinante’s voice; just curiosity.

Law really couldn't look the blond in the eyes as he answered. "Because…I don't think that I'll ever be with anyone other than you. I doubt I'll ever feel the same way about another person the way I feel about you." Law shut himself up before he became even more sentimental than he'd meant to be, and vaguely wondered if he'd made Rocinante happy earlier. The surgeon wasn't sure about oral sex, even though he'd read up on it. "So you can stop worrying so much."

That was the end to any conversation for the rest of the night as Rocinante reached out for the dark haired surgeon silently.

Law saw the smile that was there, and couldn't help but let out a startled laugh because as soon as he was within reach, Rocinante had seized him in a tight hug and fell backward onto the bed with him to cuddle. The surgeon just set aside the fact that Rocinante was still naked from the waist down. Though the decision to do this was mainly because the blond had begun to kiss him everywhere and anywhere he possibly could reach, like he'd done many times before. Rocinante was clearly ecstatic from the amount of 'I love you's' he continuously mumbled between the kisses, even if he had started to sob like he couldn’t believe that Law would do something like that for him. Just to reassure him that he was going to stay with him.

The dark haired surgeon's coherent train of thought went completely out the window as soon as Rocinante started a thorough exploration of the tattoo with both his hands and lips. But throughout the display of affection, Law was just relieved that it seemed as if he had gotten through to Rocinante about how he felt about him. And not only that, but Law had managed to get Rocinante to blush at the sight of the tattoo, which had been part of the surgeon's plan all along.

Law would just never admit to it out loud.

Rocinante was too busy alternately crying and kissing Law to notice the genuine smile that crossed the dark haired surgeon’s lips, or the way those golden eyes softened a bit over the other man’s display.

-x-

Law knew that he must have fallen asleep because he was currently huddled beneath sheets and blankets. The last thing that the surgeon remembered was Rocinante kissing and hugging him while openly jobbing with joy over Law’s tattoos meant for him. The surgeon frowned. He hadn't fallen asleep right in the middle of that, had he? Law became aware of a warm body as it snuggled closer to his back and an arm that lightly draped itself over his waist. The surgeon knew that it was Rocinante, so he lay still as he mulled over the previous night, and that was when it hit him.

He had attempted to...to...well...Law had attempted to give the blond haired man oral and Rocinante _appeared_ to have enjoyed it. Given the fact that the blond had immediately cuddled with him after seeing his tattoos and had kissed him and traced those new tattoos and had then done the same with his lips and those kisses and Law suddenly really, really needed to leave the room now. As in, right now. He needed to go because he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say after he'd done that to Rocinante and-

"Don't go." Rocinante mumbled sleepily as he rested his arm a little heavier over the surgeon's waist and held him closer to his chest to prevent escape.

Law felt the blond's breath against the side of his throat and squirmed inwardly as Rociante’s lips brushed over the skin there because the surgeon really, really knew that he wasn't up for a conversation just yet.

"I want to hold you for a while longer." The blond murmured drowsily as he yawned and pressed his lips to Law’s neck again. “Don’t leave me right now.”

The dark haired surgeon hadn't expected that, and since it was better than talking about the previous night, Law wriggled within Rocinante's hold in order to turn over. Law found the blond haired man looking at him with a warm smile, as if the surgeon was the most wonderful thing in the entire world. Law was distracted, mostly because he honestly didn't understand why Rocinante was looking at him like that. Law felt the blond's arm move away from his waist, before the hand curled beneath his chin. Law sensed Rocinante's intentions as he leaned forward to meet the blond in a kiss. And during that slow, questing kiss, Law believed that he would be able to stay there a little longer. Because right now, there was nowhere else that he wanted to be other than with Rocinante.

At least, until Rocinante started to become a bit too friendly and frisky as he had begun to murmur 'I love you's' again and started to trail his hands down along Law’s sides to his bare hips, and oh, Law had forgotten that he was still naked and the blond was very awake now with the way he nipped and kissed and let out a soft breath against the side of the surgeon’s neck.

“Cora!” Law hastily slid out of bed and made his escape in the direction of the bathroom with the blond haired officer's soft laughter following after him. Law hesitated briefly on his way there, before he glanced over his shoulder, opened his mouth, hesitated, and then hastily spoke before he lost the nerve to speak. Rocinante was just being so too sweet right now with the way he watched the surgeon’s every movement with that pleased smile plastered on his face.

"...I love you too." Law managed to say as he shut and locked himself in the bathroom to hide his blush at the sight of that delighted smile that had lit Rocinante's features.

Law remained in the bathroom for two hours despite the other man trying to coax him out of it.

“Law, you need to come out and eat something.” Rociante insisted.

Law couldn’t bring himself to leave; he was still too distracted over the fact that Rocinante’s smile of delight had done interesting things to a certain part of his anatomy, and was suffering in silence trying to figure out how to deal with it.

“Should I leave?” Rocinante asked some ten minutes later.

“No, it’s your apartment. Don’t go.” Law had said immediately, on the ground by now and glaring at his damn dick and its half hard state. But he couldn’t bring himself to touch it because he felt that it would give him no relief. The surgeon knew that he had secluded himself in the bathroom in an anti-social way but there was no way that Rocinante should be forced to leave his own home because of that. Law wasn't going to kick the man out of his own home because he was embarrassed. The surgeon started as Rocinante’s voice sounded about level with where he was seated.

“Is there any reason you are on the bathroom floor?” Rocinante asked, concerned. “You are all right, aren’t you? Please tell me that you ate something in the past day.”

“I did.” Law said defensively. “And it’s not that anyway.” No, he was currently aroused and he was not sure at all what to do with it.

And Rocinante did not leave, so it was hard to try and calm himself.

-x-

"You'll need to come out of there at some point, Law." The blond haired officer patiently pointed out at hour three of Law's self-imposed lockdown in the bathroom. When the surgeon didn’t say anything but for occasional growls of annoyance, Rocinante knocked on the door and spoke up again in a soft tone. “Law, please open the door.”

The dark haired surgeon opened the door as if in a daze, and nearly came face to face with Rocinante. It appeared as if the blond had gotten to his knees after all. Law felt himself go slightly red in the face as the blond appeared to see why exactly he was still in the bathroom.

“How long have you been like that?” Rocinante asked after a moment as he watched Law curl up against the tub, red in the face as he fidgeted and looked anywhere but at the blond.

“…on and off since I came in here.” Law admitted after a moment.

Rocinante scooted closer to Law and gently rested forehead to forehead with the surgeon.

“Cora?”

“Do you want me to help you with that?” Rocinante asked.

“It’s fine.” Law said as he slipped to one side and without seeming to be aware of it, wrapped his hand around his half limp dick and started to move his hand along it. As if to take care of it before the blond had a chance to argue with him.

“Don’t tease me.” Rocinante couldn’t help but nuzzle his cheek against Law’s and brush a hand lightly along the surgeon’s waist. “Are you sure that you don’t want my help? You seem to be having some trouble.”

Law seemed to think that over and then gave a wordless nod.

Rocinante kissed Law’s cheek before he rested his head on the surgeon’s shoulder and gently wrapped his hand around Law's. The blond guided Law’s hand along and made encouraging murmurs as the surgeon pressed himself closer to Rocinante.

“Cora…” Law stuttered moments later but cut himself off and then with a faint, turned on whimper freed his hand and silently urged the blond to continue on his own.

Rocinante locked lips with the surgeon firmly as he gently caressed his hand down along Law’s shaft, pleased that it was no longer half limp, which meant that Law was reasponding more to his touch.

Law surprised Rocinante by biting his shoulder when he came, and then seemed to be horrified with himself when he struggled out of the high he’d been on.

“Better?” Rocinante murmured against the side of his neck.

“Yes.” Law said shortly as he slipped away to clean up.

Rocinante watched him for a moment before he tossed a pair of pants Law’s way.

The surgeon caught them and put them on before he turned to face the officer, and flushed.

“What?” Rocinante asked.

“Must you smile like that?” Law said, his voice mortified.

“But it just means that you make me happy.” Rocinante beamed at the dark haired surgeon. With a furtive smile, the blond crossed the distance between them and scooped Law up and into his arms.

"Cora! What are you doing?"

Rocinante walked out of the bathroom, through the bedroom, and into the short hall. “I’m taking you to go get something to eat." Miraculously he hadn't yet tripped, and the blond haired officer hoped that would continue all the way to the kitchen.

"Put me down! I am capable of walking myself." Law demanded even as he wrapped his arms around the blond's neck to steady himself.

"I invited your roommates over for a late breakfast." Rocinante said casually in reply. “I stepped away briefly while waiting for you to come out of the bathroom.”

"What? Why would you...” Law stumbled over his words before he pressed his hands against the blond’s shoulders. “Put me down if they're here." The surgeon insisted. He could imagine what his roommates would say, and-

Rocinante's response to the surgeon's demand was a kiss, and it was very, very distracting as it always seemed to be.

Law ended up dazed from the french kiss that Rocinante had suddenly decided to bestow upon him. And the surgeon was out of it a moment longer before he realized that Rocinante had set him down at the small dining room table of the apartment. The next thing Law noticed were his roommates grinning at him as the blond haired man himself sat down.

Only to promptly topple over onto the ground.

"It’s nice of you to join us, Law." Penguin greeted. He glanced over to where Rocinante was sitting up. "Are you all right?"

The blond merely gave a jerk of his head, though he was clearly embarrassed about the fall.

Law stared at them both, his mind still not completely in the present. That is, he wasn't, until his red haired roommate decided to open his mouth.

"You should kiss him more often." Shachi said with an impish grin. "He clearly can't resist it and he obviously liked whatever you just did to him." The red head waved a hand to emphasize the fact that Law had a glazed over expression. "I mean, look at him. He’s totally spaced out."

Law came back to the present relatively quickly at that as he buried his face against his arms on the table. The surgeon was certain that he was going to be red in the face.

"You did let him sleep last night, didn't you?" Shachi directed the question to Rocinante, who merely made some kind of spluttering sound in response. "You didn't keep him up late doing naughty things, did you?"

“Shachi…” The surgeon let out a groan. Did his roommate really have to be so blunt and sound so cheerful while doing it? Law was sure that his friend was just happy that he was in a good mood, but there were some things that were just too embarrassing to bring up. It didn't help that the red head merely reached out to pat him on the shoulder consolingly.

"It’s okay, Law. You can take a nap back home."

Law raised his head to glare at his roommate's innocent expression.

"I'm sure Rocinante here would be more than happy to help you go to sleep there too." Shachi wore a devious smile now. "If you can sleep with your cute officer around, that is."

Rocinante awkwardly fumbled the bowl on the table in front of him and nearly dropped it as he colored slightly at the red head's words.

The dark haired surgeon twitched.

That was _it_. There was only so much teasing he was willing to take in one sitting.

Law surprised all of them as he lunged over the table at Shachi, who in return burst out laughing at his friends' reaction as he tried to keep out of reach.

"Can't take a joke, can you?"

The next half hour was spent with Penguin and Rocinante trying to convince Law that committing murder in a police officer's home, and in front of said police officer, was a very bad idea.

And throughout it all, Law had failed to realize that he was still shirtless and that the tattoo on his chest was not lost upon either of his roommates.


	31. Chapter 31

Law had a cold.

The fact that he had one was not surprising; he never really did take as good care of himself as he did his patients. He'd even come down with the cold at work. Law had taken some time during his break to show a mother with her sick child to the correct area of the hospital. Law had even reined in his sarcasm that day, even though he hadn't slept in over a day. He hadn't let it prevent him from pointing the distraught mother in the right direction. Law had even grudgingly allowed the sniffling child to cling to him as he led the way.

Two days later and here Law was, cocooned in his blankets and feeling absolutely and utterly miserable. The dark haired surgeon had a stuffy nose and his head felt fuzzy from all the liquid backed up in his sinuses. Perhaps it was more than just a cold, but Law figured that he could sleep it off and would feel better in a day or so. He had a very hard time thinking clearly with how terrible he felt, but Law was aware enough to refuse to let his roommates help him lest they catch what he had.

Law was sick, not incapacitated. The surgeon was perfectly able to get himself some water and food, should his body decide that it would allow solid foods. So far his body had not tolerated such things and Law had, for the time being, stuck with water. He might as well keep hydrated. It wasn't like the surgeon hadn't ever gone without food before when he'd forgotten to eat.

Unbeknownst to Law in his general misery, Penguin was about to interfere to make sure that someone was around to try and take care of him.

-x-

Rocinante had just barely arrived to the police station when his cell phone began to ring. The blond stopped to the side of the entrance and far enough away from the door of building to light a cigarette. If he was going to answer a call, he might as well get one last smoke in. And Rocinante hoped that it was Law that was calling him. He would love to hear the surgeon's voice before he had to go in to work. Maybe even tease the man a little bit. It would be much more welcome than some of the calls that Rocinante had received that he believed might be from his brother, even though there were never any messages. Or if there were, it was some kind of gibberish sound.

Maybe his brother had finally lost his mind. Not that Doflamingo was ever sane to begin with.

Rocinante snorted softly at the very thought as he took a drag from the cigarette and let it out as he fished around in a pocket for his cell phone.

The blond haired officer cursed under his breath as he promptly dropped his phone on the ground, which drew a few giggles from some teenage girls passing by. Rocinante had long since grown used to the reactions to his clumsiness from other people. Unless it was being laughed at by people who did it out of spite or to make fun of him, like Doflamingo's 'family', the blond really didn't take offense. Rocinante had never admitted it aloud to anyone, but he was so relieved that he would never have to take that kind of abuse from Diamante or any of the others.

If he ever did run into any of them again, Rocinante hoped that it would be in a raid to arrest them all. Unlikely, but Rocinante still hoped to one day scrounge up enough evidence to incriminate his brother and take him out of the general populace. People would probably even thank Rocinante as soon as crime rates went down due to Doflamingo being unable to call the shots over other petty criminals that didn't...

The phone was still ringing, and it might be Law and maybe the surgeon needed his help.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Rocinante bit down on his cigarette as he gingerly picked up his phone and checked it over.

It wasn't broken.

He never had much luck with electronics, as most of the time they were always so small in his hand compared to the average person, he was more apt to drop things. That the phone still functioned right now after a fall from a fair height was a small miracle.

"Law?" Rocinante asked hopefully as he answered the phone.

' _No, it is Penguin. Do you work today?'_

"I'm just going in now." Rocinante said. "Is Law all right?" All of his thoughts about Doflamingo made the blond concerned for the surgeon's well-being, although Rocinante doubted that his brother was going to do anything. He would probably get a laugh over letting Rocinante know that he _might_ do something and then let the blond haired officer worry over it for a time before following through. Like what Doflamingo had done the last time when Rocinante hadn't taken the threat seriously. "Law is okay, isn't he? I just talked to him yesterday and he sounded a little tired but not-"

' _He's not in any danger, if that is what you mean.'_ Penguin sounded faintly exasperated, though not at Rocinante. _'He has a cold and is being stubborn about taking care of himself. He seems to think that sleeping it off is the answer.’_ Penguin sighed, as if he couldn't believe his roommate's actions. _"For a surgeon, he is stupid when it comes to his own health.'_

"And you think that he'll take better care of himself if I come over there?" Rocinante asked skeptically, though inwardly he was excited about the prospect of spending more time with Law. Especially after all of the distressing thoughts he’d just had about Doflamingo potentially doing something to Law in some way, directly or indirectly. A sick Law was better than a Law in his brother's clutches. Rocinante shuddered to think what would happen to the surgeon should he be around Doflamingo for longer than a day.

_'Rocinante?'_ Penguin obviously had said something that the blond hadn't heard.

"Sorry, what was that?" Rocinante tried to put thoughts of his brother to the back of his mind. Nothing ever good came of associating with Doflamingo, and the blond haired officer believed that if he hadn't heard from his brother for over a month, that it was, for now, a good sign.

' _I said, if you wouldn't mind coming over after your shift that would probably be a big help.'_ Penguin repeated, since he was obviously unaware of the troubling thoughts that Rocinante currently had. _'I can handle him in the meantime.'_

Rocinante smiled at the thought of anyone trying to 'handle' Law without being assaulted by a very sharp tongue. "I'll plan on heading over there after my shift." Rocinante tried to sound casual, but could tell that Penguin knew better. After all, the blond haired officer was clearly thinking about Law using that same tongue in a much different way that was very, very inappropriate to his current conversation. Rocinante was very glad Penguin couldn't see him right now.

' _Like you weren't planning on figuring out how to come over today anyway?'_ Penguin sounded amused _. 'I'll see you later then. Give me a call so I can unlock the door.'_

"I'll do that." Rocinante ended the call and focused on finishing off his cigarette so that he could go into the station. He felt a great deal happier than he had been before, mainly because he was going to go see Law later. The good feeling vanished for the time being when he ended up lighting his coat on fire with the last of his cigarette.

"Corazon set himself on fire again." Someone drawled from just inside the police station, as if this sight was not an uncommon occurrence.

Rocinante tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and fell over onto the ground, which caused more of his coat to ignite as he flailed around in an attempt to put it out.

There was a weary sigh from another officer. "I'll go get the fire extinguisher."

-x-

It was later in the evening and Law still felt as miserable as he had when he poked his head out of the bundle of blankets that morning. The dark haired surgeon considered trying to sleep it off some more when he heard his bedroom door open. Law let out a quiet sigh and turned over slowly with a soft groan at achy joints before he spoke wearily. "I had some soup, Penguin. I'm not hungry any-" Law cut himself off at the sight of Rocinante framed in his doorway. Well, stooped in his doorway, anyway, because the blond was a bit too tall to not have to duck into rooms. "Cora…what are you doing here?"

"Penguin called and said you were sick." Rocinante said by way of answer as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

"I won't be very good company right now. I feel as if someone is trying to split my skull open." Law warned as he settled back onto his bed limply. The dark haired surgeon didn't think about the image he presented. Sick, miserable, and the bags under his eyes were probably more prominent than usual. But apparently, he was also must have appeared to be huggable, because Rocinante crossed the floor and slipped underneath the covers to join him. Law felt the blond settle closely next to the surgeon's side. "You don't have to do that. I might get you sick." Law murmured, although he had already leaned in close to the blond to leech off his body warmth. Funny, the surgeon thought he was already warm enough with all of his blankets. "And I will not be a very good conversationalist."

"You don't need to be. Just rest right now, Law." Rocinante said in return as he gathered the dark haired surgeon into his arms to hold him snugly against his chest. The blond nuzzled his cheek along Law's messy hair. "I want you to get better, so you'll need to have some water and eat something later. You should probably take some medicine as well."

"I'll be fine if I just rest." Law said faintly. “I don’t need to waste the medicine.”

"Will you do it for me anyway?" Rocinante asked as he continued to nuzzle his cheek along the other man's hair.

Law wanted to protest, but he was just too tired to do so properly and in a way that would make Rocinante listen to him. Instead, the dark haired surgeon sagged further against the blond as he took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out. "Later."

"Get some rest for now then."

The dark haired surgeon snuggled in against Rocinante more closely and noted that the blond smelled of stale cigarettes. It made Law wonder if the man had tried to wear some clothing that didn't smell too strongly of smoke. It was something that Law had noticed that the other man did, as if Rocinante was aware that he knew that Law didn't like that he smoked. That the surgeon worried about the other man's health because of it, and would always attentively watch Rocinante whenever the blond coughed, but right now…

But right now, the stale scent reassured Law as he clung to Rocinante in his sick and exhausted state. But the surgeon soon began to not feel as miserable as he did before after some time lying there in Rocinante's arms. Law even managed to get a little more rest thanks to the blond haired man who was now gently running a hand through his hair and otherwise just lying there and trying to make him feel better with just his presence. It made Law want to try and get better faster so that he wouldn't worry Rocinante.

Maybe he would take some medicine after all. Law wasn't sure why he had not thought of it before and immediately blamed being sick for his current scattered state of mind.  And for the reason of why he hadn't wanted to waste the medicine.

But Law wasn't so scatter minded to not know that he _would_ be having a talk with his roommates for continually going behind his back to contact Rocinante. But for this particular day the dark haired surgeon would let their interference slide, because having Rocinante there with him right now made Law feel better than he thought it would.


	32. Chapter 32

Law had had a very stressful day. More so than usual, and it was because many factors had combined to make him a lethally sarcastic asshole to his roommates as soon as he had set foot in his home. The dark haired surgeon had then proceeded to seclude himself in the small library area that he had made in a corner of his room, where the sunlight lit the room when the angle was just right.

Penguin and Shachi had wisely left Law to his own devices to unwind and attempt to relax. But if they had had a chance to inquire, and the surgeon had the desire to respond, they would have learned that not only had work been swamped with patients, but Luffy had somehow cornered him on his lunch break with Kidd of all people. It had turned out that the red head had tagged along because Luffy's brother had been considering getting a tattoo and the pair had been looking for him. Law had made his excuses, and just when he thought he was safe back in the break room, he'd found a newspaper. On it were the headlines of a trial that had begun a month ago, for the doctor accused of malpractice. The one responsible for Law's sister and many other's deaths. Following the trial avidly from then on was likely only going to add to the stress, but Law was determined to see the end verdict. But in the meantime, the dark haired surgeon really, really needed to de-stress before he did something like exhaust himself with household chores, because that wasn't what he needed right now.

An hour and some books later and even that didn't seem to calm his nerves.

Law let out a quiet huff before he decided to settle on a cushion next to the bookcase to try and do some meditation. Law heard someone enter the room not a minute later, but since they didn't interrupt, Law continued to meditate. His mind and the feeling in his body felt much calmer 30 minutes later, and that was when the person in the room made themselves known by resting their head on his lap. Law slit is eyes open and tilted his head down only to find that it was Rocinante looking up at him.

"Are you all right, Law?" Rocinante asked softly.

Law closed his eyes and gave a light jerk of his head, but he felt Rocinante take one of his hands to begin to lay a trail of light kisses on the back of it where the tattoos were.

"Cora…" Law really wasn't in the mood to cuddle or otherwise engage Rocinante right now. Not for a little while longer.

There were a few more kisses placed on the surgeon's hand, and then Rocinante moved up into what was likely a seated position to peck Law's cheek as he spoke. "I love you."

The dark haired surgeon caved in relatively quickly at the warmth and love in Rocinante's voice, and honestly couldn't find the heart to tell him off. It didn't mean that Law didn't try and salvage the aloof indifference he was trying to exude. "I'm trying to meditate." The surgeon said the first thing that came to mind, although it was clear in his voice that he liked what Rocinante had said to him.

"Bad day at work?" Rocinante asked as he slid a little closer across the rug toward Law, gently taking one of his hands in his own as he did.

"Among other things." Law admitted at length. He knew that he wasn't the only one who could have a bad day at work, so he didn't complain. Not today, anyway. But he dark haired man didn't expect Rocinante to start to assail him with kisses in an attempt to perhaps make him feel better, as if the blond could sense that he was troubled.

It started off slowly, in any case, so that Law wasn't overwhelmed by the sudden rush of affection. A kiss to the hand. A kiss to the cheek. A kiss to his temple.

Law could more or less concentrate on allowing his mind to be blank and worry free, until Rocinante appeared to decide that he wanted the dark haired surgeon to pay attention to him.

The light kisses started to become more precise and lingering as Rocinante scooted even closer to Law to start to nose his way down the side of the other's neck.

"Cora?" Law questioned a minute or so after Rocinante had started to very thoroughly explore the side of his neck with kisses. The surgeon couldn't repress a shiver when Rocinante’s mouth brushed over the spot between jaw and ear. “What are you doing?”

"What do you think?" The blond haired man asked as he lifted a hand and slid part of Law's shirt to one side so that he could start on Law's collarbone. "You sure are quiet."

"I'm meditating?" Law said faintly in return. The kisses were starting to get to him although perhaps it was because Rocinante had slid his other hand up beneath his shirt to trail it along in small patterns on his stomach. The dark haired surgeon opened his eyes at that and tilted his head only to come into contact with Rocinante's lips in a kiss. Law made a muffled sound of surprise into the sudden kiss, before he decided that he could always meditate another time.

"Are you done meditating now?" Rocinante asked into the kiss.

Law heard the smile in the other man's voice and when he leaned back from the kiss to see the happy expression across the blond’s face, the dark haired surgeon couldn't help but crack a tiny smile in return.

Rocinante's smile increased at the sight of Law's tiny, genuine smile. It obviously pleased the blond in some way because Rocinante had almost immediately knocked Law over backward onto the rug of the floor in his attempts to smother him in an elated hug.

"Cora! You're going to crush me!" Law gasped, even if he did cling to the blond anyway.

"Sorry." Rocinante settled over Law more carefully so that he didn't 'crush' him, before he leaned in and tilted his head to breathe against the side of the surgeon's throat. "You know, you should smile like that more often."

Law wasn't able to duck his head beneath Rocinante's chin to hide the faint blush, but it didn't matter because Rocinante was too busy lavishing attention to his throat. The motion made Law issue an embarrassingly thin whine as he gripped Rocinante's nearest arm. The dark haired surgeon wasn't sure when the last time was that the blond had been able to kiss him like this was, though it had to have been before he was sick.

"I love you, Law." Rocinante mumbled again between kisses.

Law murmured something softly in return but really, he couldn't focus on much more than that because of what Rocinante was doing. He did, however, move his hands to prevent Rocinante from removing his pants. "Not now."

Rocinante didn't take offense and instead pecked Law lightly on the cheek before settling on the ground beside him to cuddle.

Law was fine with that as he turned over and pressed himself close to Rocinante's side.

-x-

After a half hour of silently cuddling on the floor, Law felt more relaxed than he had been since he'd gotten home from work two hours ago. It helped that Rocinante, once they'd gone to the living room, had stuck around with him, although they were seated on different chairs.

Law honestly didn't know what the look the blond was giving him meant but it made him feel self-conscious. Mainly because it was as if Rocinante were undressing him with his eyes and Law really wasn't sure what to think of that other than to be a bit flattered and wonder the same thing in return. Although, when Law looked Rocinante over and thought about how good the blond had looked in those swimming trunks and how best not to be embarrassed to say as much, Rocinante turned a bit red in the face and ducked his head.

Law was confused by this reaction even if he found it very cute, until Shachi poked his head into the room and saw them.

"Hey now, what're you looking at him like that for? You thinking of stripping him and getting all hot and bothered in bed or something?" Shachi held up his hands in a placating gesture as Law twisted around to look at him. "Whoa. And there's the 'I'm going to kill you' look." Shachi grinned as if life threatening danger from his friend didn't bother him. "Maybe after dinner? I invited someone over."

"Who?" Law asked as he contemplated how effective it would be to throw a pillow into Shachi's face from where he was seated.

"Luffy." Shachi said with an evil little smile before he retreated into the other room.

Law was speechless until he heard Shachi speak to said teenager, who laughed and said something in return.

Absolutely not.

He'd already had enough of the teen at the hospital earlier, and he was not going to allow-

What Law wasn't going to allow fled his mind completely as suddenly he had something else to worry about. Like the fact that Rocinante had just cornered him on the chair he was seated on to kiss him in a very, very passionate and aroused way. Well, aroused in that Law could feel the blond pressing up against him as closely as possible without making Law feel too trapped.

The kiss had tongue involved, and the surgeon’s mind briefly blanked over the fact that the blond made a very thorough exploration of his mouth. Law tried to return the kiss, and wow, the surgeon hadn't realized that Rocinante would act as swiftly as this nor give thought to the idea that they weren't alone. "Shachi is in the other room." Law mumbled as he tried to get the blond to back off for now.

"But I want to touch you." Rocinante said insistently as he kissed Law again, before he drew back and looked the surgeon in the eye. "I think I want to go to your room and continue this."

Law looked up at Rocinante dazedly. "Why? What difference does it make?" Kissing might be an embarrassing thing to walk in on but they were already kissing so why would they change their place they were making out in.

“The way you are looking at me…” Rocinante gave Law a pitying look, as if it should have been obvious why. The blond took a breath and then backed away, but not without grabbing Law's hand and tugging him up to his feet. "I need to do something about it before I go eat."

Law wore a perplexed expression but allowed Rocinante to lead him in the direction of the bedroom. "And why does having me look at you make you want to do something?"

"You really don't get it, do you?" Rocinante asked as he let go of Law to lock them in the surgeon's bedroom.

"No?" Law replied. "And why did you say you need to come in the bedroom?"

"Because I want to touch you." Rocinante said simply as he steered Law over to the bed. "I want to take your clothes off, if you’ll let me."

"Oh." Law still wasn’t quite sure why Rocinante wanted his clothes off as he sat down on the bed and noticed that look in Rocinante's eyes again. Since he was more interested in the blond's mood change than dealing with Luffy, Law decided to play along. The dark haired surgeon smirked faintly. "And where do you want to touch me?"

Rocinante stared at Law for a moment, as if trying very hard to figure something out, before he apparently gave that up as he sank down to his knees.

"Are you all right?" Law asked, as he watched Rocinante settle down.

"Yes, I'm just trying to figure out if you're actually oblivious or just teasing me." Rocinante responded as he scooted close to the bed to rest his arms over Law's legs as he looked up at him.

"Oblivious to what?" Law asked. The fact that it appeared as if Rocinante wanted to jump him and eat him? Though what he wanted to eat, the surgeon wasn't very sure and-

Wait...

...damn, Law had a good idea now what Rocinante had in mind and wondered why he wasn't aware of what he'd been doing before.

"I see that you get it now." Rocinante commented as he leaned his head over to nuzzle along one of Law's thighs. "Do you have any idea how much you affect me?"

"I think I have a good idea of how much." Law said wryly, even if he was internally squirming over the fact that Rocinante had his hands on his belt with the intent to get him out of his pants as quickly as possible. "But don't you think that they will hear us?"

What Rocinante had to say to that was overrun by Shachi's cheerful voice outside Law's bedroom door.

"I didn't mean have sex right now. I do need help with dinner, you know, and Luffy is more liable to eat it as I'm trying to cook it."

Rocinante appeared to realize the position he was in and how much he was encroaching on Law's personal space and immediately backed off and gave the surgeon an apologetic look, as if he'd done something wrong.

Law remained seated on his bed as he watched Rocinante exit the bedroom, and dwelled on the way the blond had reacted. It was interesting and a little scary to think how Rocinante had gone from sweet and lovable to very, very intent and-

"So, _have_ you guys had sex yet, or are you still just giving each other bedroom eyes?"

Law raised his head to meet his roommate's eyes. He was going to _kill_ Shachi, whether or not Rocinante was around to witness the murder. Law rose with the murderous intent very clear, while Shachi made his escape and called out to the blond haired officer in the other room.

"Rocinante, I think Law wants to try and murder me in my sleep again! And twice, if he can manage it."

Luffy, oblivious to what had happened in the past few minutes, picked his nose. "When are Zoro and the others coming?"

Rocinante was forced to hold Law back from Shachi as the dark hared surgeon took issue with that.

"Who told you that you could have a party at my house?"


	33. Chapter 33

Law knew that he should have gone to his room for some peace and quiet, because he now found himself with his roommates in the living room with him. At the very least they hadn't sat on either side of him on the couch, because that would have annoyed Law more than his quiet time being interrupted. It irked the surgeon to no end that Shachi and Penguin had begun to speak to one another as if he were not there.

"He sure is thinking real hard about something." Shachi commented from chair.

"At least he isn't cleaning." Penguin said from where he was seated on the love seat. "It must not be too distressing a thought."

"He's obviously thinking about his boyfriend. Nothing else twists him into knots so much." Shachi agreed before he smiled. "Maybe he's going to get another tattoo."

"Where?” Penguin asked. “On his back?”

"Maybe, or perhaps he was going to get more piercings?" Shachi agreed as he slid a sly glance Law's way. "Rocinante sure seemed to like your ear piercings."

Law glared. It had no effect whatsoever, much to the surgeon's displeasure.

Shachi's grin widened. " _Did_ you get more piercings?"

"No." Law denied immediately. The ones on his ears were enough. For now. He had started to notice that Rocinante had begun to try to toy with said piercings during their short make out sessions. And more often as time went by.

"You hesitated. You want to get more, don't you?" Shachi persisted as he wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe somewhere...more private? I bet you he’d like it if there was a piecing down there when he sucked you off and-"

A pillow struck the redhead in the face.

"I _said_ I wasn't going to get any more piercings. And if I did, I wouldn't tell you because you are a notorious gossip with everyone. " Law said firmly as he hefted another pillow, aware that he was more than likely faintly blushing.

"I only let stuff slip if I'm drunk." Shachi confirmed before he hastily ducked to avoid another pillow. "And you were the one who forgot that your shirt was off with that huge tattoo across your chest. Does Rocinante make your _corazon_ race?"

"What _were_ you thinking about?" Penguin cut in to distract Law from throwing more pillows at Shachi. "You've been at it for over an hour."

Law hesitated for a moment before he gave in and ran a hand through his hair. "Rocinante's birthday is tomorrow." The surgeon frowned at his roommates as they exchanged glances. "Would you please stop doing that?"

The dark haired surgeon's roommates ignored him.

"Yep, he was thinking about his boyfriend." Shachi drawled, still smiling.

"It isn't that hard to get a birthday present." Penguin made it sound as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do.

"This is Law we're talking about." Shachi said with an amused eye roll.

"Good point." Penguin agreed.

Law made it known then and there that he disliked being spoken of as if he were not there. It resulted in an impromptu pillow fight that left Shachi and Penguin breathless with laughter at the sight of the surgeon still irked with the pair of them.

And it did nothing to solve what he was going to get Rocinante for his birthday. And no, Law wasn't going to allow Shachi to put a bow on his head to be the 'present,' no matter how many times his red headed roommate insisted that Rocinante would be thrilled over the gesture.  Shachi had grinned at Law's protests and had added, with a bigger grin, that Law could also just be naked with a bow on his head.

The dark haired surgeon had tried to brain Shachi with the nearest blunt object in the living room at that suggestion and Penguin had had to stop Law from causing the red head any harm.  By the time the surgeon went to bed, he had still come up with nothing. And Law felt trepidation when he saw his cell phone light up with a text message.

From Rocinante.

_'I work a half-day tomorrow. Dinner?'_

Law returned the message with an affirmative and stayed up most of the night puzzling over what to do.

-x-

The dark haired surgeon was able to act normal enough during dinner, but as soon as Law and Rocinante arrived to the officer's apartment, it got awkward. The dark-haired surgeon waited until Rocinante had closed the door to speak to him, to do anything to break the slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Happy birthday." Law stated. Sorry I didn't get you a present remained unsaid.

There was a pause as the blond harried man half turned as he hung up his jacket. Rocinante's gaze softened the longer he looked at Law before he responded, his voice warm and happy.

"Thank you." It was as if the blond haired officer hadn't anticipated Law to say that to him.

The surgeon averted his eyes. "I was going to get you something..." Law drifted off and gave an enigmatic shrug.

"That's all right." Rocinante said as he stepped away from the door and began to walk toward the surgeon.

"But you got me something." Law insisted, even though he was aware of the way that Rocinante now had him wrapped in his arms in a hug. The dark haired surgeon couldn't look the other man in the face, mainly because he was trying to figure out what the blond was up to.

"You don't need to get me anything." Rocinante said as he leaned over to rest his forehead against Law's.

Law frowned from their close proximity, his golden eyes reflecting his puzzlement. "Everyone could use something."

"I suppose, but..." Rocinante tilted his head to the side and over a little to rest it against Law's shoulder. The blond's arms held the surgeon a tad bit more snugly in that hug as he finished his previous thought. "...but you being with me…that is the only present that I will ever need from you."

Law buried his face against the other man's shaggy hair as he had no response that he could possibly say to that quiet confession. So he hugged the other man silently in return and since that didn't seem to be enough, Law silently urged Rocinante's head up from his shoulder to kiss him. The surgeon made it clear that he wanted the kiss to be very thorough to show him how just how much he was affected by the blond's words.

Rocinante was more than happy to comply with the silent request.


	34. Chapter 34

Rocinante always enjoyed taking those long walks around the park with Law, and tonight was no exception. Since it was in the dead of night, the blond was thrilled to bits because Law had allowed him to hold his hand as they walked, because no one else was around. It made Rocinante very happy, and he felt that, while Law didn't show it, that the surgeon knew exactly how much it meant to him for Law to do this in public.

The two stopped their leisurely walk to sit down on one of the many benches throughout the park to enjoy one another's company in silence.

Rocinante took it upon himself to place an arm over Law's shoulders, and smiled, even happier than before, as the surgeon leaned into his side as closely as possible without actually sitting on his lap. "Can I ask you a question?" Rocinante ventured after a few minutes had passed.

"Yes, what is it?" Law was clearly relaxed, as it was reflected in his voice.

"How old are you?" It was something that Rocinante had been thinking about and had realized that he had never asked before.

"Twenty-six." Law said without a hint of hesitation. "Why?"

Rocinante couldn't make much more than a surprised sound and blushed at the sight of Law as the surgeon tilted his head to look up at him in question.

"Why does it matter how old I am? We've been together nearly two years."

"I'm...um...thirty-two...I just..." Rocinante stumbled over his words as Law began to smirk at him. "I thought that you...were, well, older because of...because of your facial hair."

"You like it?" Law was clearly just teasing the other man now.

Rocinante lifted a hand to trail it along Law's sideburns before he brushed a few fingers over his chin as the blond leaned in and pecked Law on the cheek. Rocinante's blush was answer enough.

The dark haired surgeon glanced around the immediate area before he got up onto his knees on the bench and returned the kiss on the cheek. "You being six years older than me doesn't bother me, so don't worry about it." Law hesitated, before he added, with a faint blush of his own as he averted his eyes. "Kiss me?"

Rocinante liked Law's blush and did as he was asked, because he was very pleased that Law was comfortable enough right now to kiss him outside of their homes. Rocinante furrowed his brow in concern when Law sagged against him after the kiss. "Are you all right?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. I'm fine." Law said. "Just a little bit out of breath."

Rocinante didn't think that he kissed the other man long enough for that to happen but he let it slide for now. At least until later that night, when they returned to Law's house and the dark haired surgeon had a dizzy spell in the hallway.

"Law?"

The dark haired surgeon had just leaned up against Rocinante, but when the blond began to try to ask him if he was all right, Law waved him off.

"I'm all right, Cora. Just too much work and not enough rest." The dark haired man said after the feeling had apparently passed.

Rocinante was still worried when they went to bed, and he wasn't sure if he was jumping the gun, but...he wanted to bring up a rather touchy and painful subject. But the blond haired officer really didn't want to offend or upset Law, so he felt that he would only ask if the same thing continued to happen. Rocinante really did hope that it was just the dark haired surgeon working himself too hard, but the following days proved otherwise that something wasn't quite right.

-x-

The odd feeling persisted the following days with increasing frequency, and it was a very hard sensation for Law to begin to try to describe. But despite that, the dark haired surgeon had agreed to meet up with Rocinante for lunch, about a week after Luffy's intrusion into his house. The dark haired surgeon knew that Rocinante was worried about him, but Law felt that if he could keep up their near daily meetings that all would be well.

And in any case, Law felt better that day, and couldn't help but inwardly smile at how thrilled Rocinante was to see him as the blond approached him at the booth he was seated at.

But the off feeling grew throughout the next hour, until it was occupying Law's thoughts after he and Rocinante had finished their meal. It was so strong that day that when they arrived at the train station, Law ended up swaying in place on the platform, suddenly feeling very dizzy and unwell. But Law felt that it was not food poisoning, because for some reason, the sensation he now felt was different than if that had been the case.

Rocinante hastily looped an arm around Law's waist to draw him back, lest he fall over in a way reminiscent from the time he'd saved the surgeon from a similar situation. "Are you all right, Law?"

"I'm fine." Law repeated for what he felt was the twentieth time, as he waited for the dizziness to pass before he let out a sigh. "I think that I have just been working too much now that my wrists are fine." He also said that far too often to be a good enough excuse for Rocinante. Law's wrists barely had a trace of where they had been dug into with handcuffs, and the surgeon had been back at work for over a month. When Rocinante said nothing, Law twisted slightly in his grasp to see that the blond was leveling a concerned look at him. It was the same expression that Rocinante had been giving him ever since their walk in the park late one night, days ago. Law squeezed one of Rocinante's hands. "I'm all right, really. I'm just very tired."

The train had arrived by then, and a few minutes after Law and Rocinante had boarded the train, the feeling that the surgeon had had before passed, and he felt perfectly fine. It was as Law had thought. The odd spells of dizziness were merely a result of being overworked and stressed out.

Law had no idea how very wrong he was, and just how much of Rocinante's concern was well-warranted.

-x-

Rocinante grew concerned about Law's health with each passing day, because the dark haired surgeon had started to exhibit worrying signs. Rocinante felt as if the surgeon was not at all as well as he claimed to be. The blond haired officer refused to believe that Law was experiencing these things merely because of being overworked.

The exaggerated exhaustion that Law had experienced had been passed off as having too much overtime at the hospital. The lethargic and almost-fainting spells that the dark haired man had started to experience more often. The increase in Law's loss of appetite that was abnormal even for the dark haired surgeon.

It made Rocinante worry.

A lot.

And the most frustrating thing about the whole matter was Law's insistence that everything was fine.

-x-

Rocinante curled close on the bed up against Law's back, unable to go to sleep. He's just noticed another sign that something was wrong. Law had, for the past few days, begun to have trouble breathing at times. And the difficulty breathing, especially when Law was merely resting, finally made Rocinante so concerned that he decided he had to convince the surgeon to have himself checked over.

Law turned slightly in his sleep with a soft, shuddering sigh.

Rocinante carefully gathered Law into his arms and held him gently against his chest, as the two of them being close would help Law breathe more evenly. It didn't, but Rocinante liked to think that it did. The occasionally raspy draw of breath had Rocinante more careful of where he rested his arm over Law's waist. The officer cuddled closer because he could feel the way that Law's heart was beating more rapidly than normal. Likely to make up for the bout of erratic breathing.

"Law…" Rocinante closed his eyes and let out a frustrated exhalation of air. He had continued to urge the dark haired surgeon to have one of his colleagues check up on him, but every time Law dismissed Rocinante's concerns.

Because Law insisted that he was perfectly fine.

Rocinante fell into an uneasy doze and sincerely hoped that Law was right about the problems he experienced were because of exhaustion. The blond haired man felt as if he barely fell asleep before he was awoken by Law shifting in bed and trying to sneak away. Sleepily, Rocinante reached out and had Law in his arms again before the dark haired man could make his escape.

"Cora, I need to go to work." Law insisted, even if he did not try to move when he realized just how tightly the blond held him.

Rocinante held on wordlessly, his features reflecting the concern he had about even the surgeon's voice sounding weak.

Law let out a soft sigh and turned over to face Rocinante and his near death grip on him. As soon as the dark hared surgeon saw the concern that was written all over the blond's face, Law seemed to cave in. "All right, I'll ask Chopper to give me a checkup. I really don't think it is anything, however." Law said after a moment.

"Thank you." Rocinante said as he leaned in and gave Law a kiss on the cheek. And then decided that that wasn't quite enough.

Law was startled into laughter and ended up playfully fending off Rocinante's sudden shower of affection following the first kiss. The blond took the opportunity to give the surgeon a few more kisses since the other man was open to receiving them. Law allowed for a brief kiss that was a little more than feather light, before he frowned at Rocinante. "Why are you thanking me anyway?"

"You agreed to go let someone check your health for you." Rocinante said as he managed to peck Law on the cheek again and give him a quick hug before he relinquished his grasp to allow the surgeon out of bed. "And I'm thanking you because I have worried about you these past few weeks. You need to take better care of yourself."

"I know you are…concerned." Law said as he rummaged around in his closet for his clothes. "And I take care of myself just fine. I've just been busier as of late."

The blond haired officer knew better than to argue against that. With a shake of his head, Rocinante spoke again, "Call me after you let…Chopper, was it?" Rocinante saw the brief nod. "Call after you have him check you over?"

"I'll ask him to do that, after my shift." Law said as he turned away from the closet.

"Law." Rocinante said, slightly exasperated. He loved that Law was so serious about his job, but he really needed to be more concerned about his own health. "Please have yourself checked over sooner." When it looked as if Law was going to argue the point, Rocinante added, almost desperately. "For me? Please? I'll feel better if you find out sooner."

"During my first break then." Law replied as he stood still next to the closet.

It puzzled Rocinante only for a moment before he smiled at Law's back and rose out of bed to give the other man a hug.

Only to fall flat on his face.

"You are very clumsy." Law said from overhead in a completely flat voice. "There isn't anything there for you to trip on."

Rocinante blushed slightly in embarrassment, but when he got his limbs situated and raised his head, he found Law kneeling in front of him with a faint smile in place. Rocinante smiled happily in return, and let out a soft note of surprise when Law placed his hands on either side of his head and leaned in.

"Law?" Rocinante asked before his eyes fluttered shut as the surgeon kissed him. He hadn't expected that, but it wasn't unwelcome. In fact, Rocinante would love for Law to initiate their kisses more often. Like he sort of had done that one night in the park. Well, Law had asked for the blond to kiss him and Rocinante had thought it the most adorable thing in the world with the flush that had been present on the surgeon's cheeks.

"You are clumsy….but I don't mind." Law said as he drew back. The surgeon kept his hands on either side of Rocinante's head. "You wouldn't be you without your little...quirks, although setting yourself on fire is something you should work on. I don't want you burning yourself too badly."

Rocinante kept his eyes closed and enjoyed the sensation of Law's fingertips as they lightly traced along his cheeks before they moved and began to card through his shaggy hair.

"Cora…"

Rocinante's eyes flew open at the lower note in Law's voice and stuttered in surprise as the dark haired surgeon urged him up and into a seated position. The stutters increased because Law settled on Rocinante's lap immediately afterward and pressed him back against the side of the bed.

"If there's nothing wrong with me after Chopper checks things out, I want you to stay here with me." Law stated firmly, his hands going back to run through Rocinante's hair. With a frown, the dark haired man amended, "Actually, whether or not there is something going on with my health, I want you to stay here with me."

"I thought I already stay here most of the time?" Rocinante asked, distracted by those hands mussing up his hair even more.

"Not just coming over to stay the night." Law said, his hands stilling as he looked Rocinante in the eyes. "I want you to come live with me. You don't have to stay by yourself in that apartment. I have more than enough room here for you to live with me full time."

Rocinante stared at Law for a long moment. "Really?" He didn't think in his wildest imagination that Law, anti-social and socially awkward Law, who was still very shy around him when it came to some things, was offering for him to come live with him. In his home. And with his roommates, but the important thing was that Law sounded like he meant it.

"Cora?" Law asked, tilting his head. He had frowned again, and looked away. "Perhaps not? I thought that...well..."

Rocinante hastily reached out to prevent Law from sliding off of him as he brought the dark haired man to his chest in a crushing hug, voice elated. "Of course I would like to live with you. It would be nice to have everything in one place and not have to worry about timing commutes to work." The blond haired man nuzzled the side of Law's neck and kissed him. "And I could wake up with you every morning." Rocinante certainly warmed up to the idea and wasn't sure why either of them hadn't brought it up sooner. Rocinante couldn't picture himself with anyone but Law and the feeling appeared to be mutual.

"Cora.” Law wheezed. “Can’t breathe.”

Rocinante loosened his grip and smiled at Law even though the other man had thrown him a harried look. "I love you, Law." Rocinante smiled even more brilliantly when Law tucked his head beneath his chin and gripped a handful of his sweater as the surgeon uttered a few words in a barely audible tone.

"L...love you too…."

Rocinante couldn't contain all the happiness welling within him so he scooped Law up and dropped him on the bed so that he could shower him some more with kisses. The dark haired surgeon only offered a token of protest before Law tried to join in too on all of the kissing. But Rocinante was so excited that he didn't give the surgeon a chance as he sneakily pulled Law's shirt off and kissed all the tattoos. It made Law squirm a little. "Can I just start moving my stuff here after work today?" Rocinante was so overwhelmed with happiness that he gave Law one final exhilarated kiss on the lips that left the dark haired man gasping for breath.

"Need to...go to work." Law said breathlessly as he slid off of Rocinante's lap and gathered up the clothes that he had dropped to the ground.

"That's a yes then?" Rocinante asked happily, the idea of living with Law under the same roof making him delirious.

"S...Shachi and Penguin could help you move things. You don't have to do everything right away." Law said as he went into the bathroom to change.

"I just have paperwork today. You don't have to make your friends do that." Rocinante smiled as the surgeon emerged dressed from the bathroom. "You'll call me when you know something?"

It took Law a moment to remember why he was supposed to call the blond before he nodded. "I will."

"You really are cute when you're embarrassed." Rocinante beamed at Law as the other man hastily left the room with what appeared to be more of a noticeable blush. The blond haired officer loved how embarrassed Law could become. It was _very_ cute and Rocinante loved that Law as still opening up to him bit by bit. It made him very happy and Rocinante hoped there would be a time when Law was open to being more affectionate without having to feel embarrassed about showing it.

But that elated, content feeling the blond haired man had would be gone by midafternoon when he didn't receive any news from Law. Rocinante would instead receive a frantic call from Shachi to get to the hospital as soon as he could.

Rocinante had been right about there being something very wrong with Law's health. The cause wasn't from being overworked. It was from a much more worrying source.


	35. Chapter 35

As soon as Rocinante heard word from Shachi that Law had collapsed in the hospital, the blond haired officer raced out of the police station. Not even tripping over several things on the way to the hospital deterred Rocinante from getting there as quickly as he could. He felt sick to his stomach with worry and wondered again why Law hadn't gotten it into his head to get himself checked over sooner, before something like this happened.

Rocinante halted just outside the hospital to catch his breath. He knew better than to think that Law would have done anything to help himself so long as he was able to function. Maybe he would think twice about that now. Rocinante just hoped it wasn't anything too serious. The blond haired man took a deep breath and let it out as he entered the hospital, and quickly looked around for someone familiar.

"You're Rocinante, aren't you?" A voice said to his left.

The blond haired officer turned too quickly. He slipped on the tile and fell backward, long legs stuck up at an odd angle as he twisted slightly to look at the speaker. And smile sheepishly at her expression. "Yes, I am." He ignored the fact that his long limbs were sprawled in bizarre angles as he focused on what was important. "You're one of the nurses that works with Law?"

"Yes, I am. I'm Kaya." The young woman watched as Rocinante righted himself. "I can take you to Chopper. He's the one who found Law."

"Is he all right?" Rocinante asked as he carefully got to his feet.

"For now. And he seemed just fine this morning when he came in for work." Kaya said. She didn't look happy. "I'd rather you ask Chopper, since I'm not clear on the details."

Rocinante nodded, and trailed along after Kaya, careful to not trip himself again.

It turned out that Chopper was a very young doctor, and Rocinante was further surprised to find that the young, brown haired teenager was friends with Luffy.

Kaya introduced the two before she went off to carry out whatever duties she had.

Rocinante marveled at the fact that there was someone who looked to be a good deal younger than Law that was a doctor, and said as much. "I thought Law was the youngest here. You must be very talented to be a doctor at your age."

"S..Shut up! I'm not that good." Chopper said awkwardly, even if he was smiling. "I am fifteen though."

Rocinante stared. That was much younger than he had thought. Kids these days. The blond gave his head another shake. "Law?"

Chopper's smile faded, the teen's expression becoming concerned. "We're checking to see what's wrong. At first, we all thought it was just because Law had worked himself into exhaustion, but that doesn't seem to be the case. At the moment, we think it might be some kind of poisoning."

"Like food poisoning?" Rocinante asked.

Chopper shook his head. "From what I can see, I don't think that that is the case." The brown haired teen hesitated a moment, before he started to walk down the hall. "We're waiting on the results."

Rocinante followed after Chopper, and spent a good five hours fidgeting in a waiting room area while Chopper went to go look over results with his other colleagues. The blond haired officer grew further concerned when Chopper returned with an expression that was hard to interpret.

"You'd better come with me." Chopper said, and his tone was nervous. "Law's not taking the news well."

Rocinante was up and out of his seat in an instant, and miraculously didn't trip on anything as he followed after the short teen aged doctor. "What news?" Rocinante had a bad feeling about all this. He felt that Law wasn't one to get upset over just anything.

"We found that Law has a poison of some kind in his system, and it's been there for at least a month, if not longer. It's worked its way into his bloodstream, but it isn't a fast acting venom." Chopper responded as he walked.

"Don't you have anti-venom?" Rocinante thought with the vast amount of times people could be bit by venomous animals that there had to be a lot of anti-venom in reserve to deal with it.

"We're trying a few different anti-venoms, but it's odd…" Chopper frowned as he took a turn at the end of the hall. "The way the poison is reacting to some of the anti-venom seems to make whatever is in Law's system multiply, and that isn't supposed to happen. It either would get rid of some of the poisonous cells, or it wouldn't do anything at all."

"Is there anything else you can do for him?" Rocinante asked. "Are there ways to see what type of venom it is?"

"We're trying, but whenever we seem to get a result, it is almost like there is a different poison than the one we were looking at." Chopper glanced up at Rocinante. "Do you know if Law came into any contact with something that could have introduced the venom?"

Rocinante was going to say no when a troubling thought suddenly occurred to him. "You said it has been in his system for at least a month, perhaps more?"

"Yes. Did you think of something?" Chopper asked, as he halted outside a door.

Rocinante's eyes darkened at the mere thought. "Yes. Could it have gotten into Law's body from a cut?"

"It's possible." Chopper said.

"You've seen his wrists?" Rocinante asked. He really didn't want to be right, because it would mean he would have to make a call that he didn't want to.

"Oh, where he had some injuries to his wrists?" Chopper asked. "He never did say what happened."

"Someone…briefly kidnapped him to…taunt me." Rocinante said shortly. "But Law was handcuffed and they weren't exactly the cleanest of metal either."

"And that would coincide with the time." Chopper said, thinking hard and not actually reacting to the whole kidnapping idea. "Do you still have those handcuffs?"

"Yes." Rocinante said. Not because he was ever going to use them on anyone other than his brother. While Rocinante normally felt only some irritation toward his brother, right now there was only simmering anger. "Would you be able to tell if there was venom on it?"

"We can analyze it. If it is the source, it might give us a better idea of what we can do." Chopper said.

Rocinante immediately called Law's house, and was grateful that Penguin picked up. But he was unhappy when Penguin couldn't find the handcuffs. Rocinante knew that he had not gotten rid of them, but ended the call with Penguin with reassurances that he would give Law's roommate an update when he knew something.

At least the call had answered one question about who was likely responsible for Law's condition.

"The handcuffs aren't at the house anymore." Rocinante stated after he had hung up with Penguin.

"Well, we can keep doing some tests and see if anything specific comes out of it. Law needs to have some antibodies to that venom, but I don't want to give him ones that won't help or will make it worse." Chopper said.

"I'm going to make one more call." Rocinante said. "Can I see Law after that?"

"Sure. We're just having him rest." Chopper indicated the room they were standing in front of. The younger teen pointed to a room across the hall. "You can make the call in there."

Rocinante immediately went into that room, his cell phone already in his hand as he dialed a number. He didn't care that he hadn't talked to Doflamingo since his brother had gotten the information he'd wanted by kidnapping Law. Rocinante hated that his brother sounded unsurprised to hear from him when he picked up, which solidified the idea that this was Doflamingo's doing after all.

"What did you do to him?" Rocinante all but growled in a dangerous tone. He normally wasn't so forceful when speaking to his brother, but for Law, he would make an exception.

_'Something the matter, little brother?'_ Doflamingo laughed as if he didn't care that Rocinante sounded so upset.

"What did you do to Law?" Rocinante clarified.

' _Is the brat laid up in the hospital yet? That took long enough. He must be pretty resilient.'_ Doflamingo said vaguely.

"Doffy." Rocinante snapped impatiently as he enunciated each of his next words. "What. Did. You. Do?" The blond knew he was going to get some kind of repercussion for this but he honestly didn't care because Law was poisoned and he knew that Doflamingo had something to do with it.

' _My, my. You certainly are bold today.'_ Doflamingo's grin was easy to picture. _'But why bother asking me what I did when you already know?'_

"Because hearing you say it would be better clarification." Rocinante said. "And I'm pretty sure I would find your finger prints on those handcuffs."

' _But you don't have those handcuffs, do you?_ ' Doflamingo asked gleefully.

"You had to have stolen them when everyone was out of the house." Rocinante stated. "What was on those handcuffs?"

' _Why should I tell you?'_ Doflamingo asked, sounding disinterested now. _'I told you before that I didn't appreciate you or any of the other officers butting into my business. So of course I was going to make sure to have something to back that up. Just kidnapping your surgeon wasn't going to be enough to get you to see reason, right?'_

“I gave you what you wanted.” Rocinante felt a slight chill but his anger had diminished to be replaced with a little fear. “Why would you do something like this? Law had nothing to do with any of it."

' _Why? To make a point, of course.'_ Doflamingo's voice was pleasant now. _'What better way is there to drive a point home than to watch someone slowly die before your eyes?'_

Rocinante couldn't speak.

' _Don't bother looking for anti-venom either. This one was manufactured to be slow acting until the end and if they have tired any anti-venoms, it'll only be made worse and progress quicker than before.'_ Doflamingo said, as if he were having a conversation about the weather. _'Science is rather interesting, don't you think?'_

Rocinante felt like he was going to be sick.

' _If that was all you were calling about, I'll take my leave._ ' Doflamingo said. _'But a word of caution. If you or anyone from your station looks into this, you'll find that Law won't just die from poisoning.'_

"Stay away from him." Rocinante warned once he managed to find his voice.

' _Then don't bother looking for those handcuffs.'_ Doflamingo said shortly. _'And don't call me if it's about those handcuffs or the poison. You should know me well enough that I'll find a way to make things worse.'_

"Why?" Rocinante asked again, his voice faint.

' _Because I can, Roci.'_ Doflamingo said in return. _'And because you were the one who started it all by spying on my family. Trying to find a way to get me arrested. Don't think I won't take_ _offense to that, nor the fact that you didn't die that night more than a year ago.'_

Rocinante was the first to hang up the phone because he didn't want to let Doflamingo have the satisfaction that he had made him cry. The blond haired officer still didn't know what had happened for Doflamingo to want him dead, because Rocinante knew that it had to be more than just being a police officer or spying on him. Rocinante doubted he'd get a straight answer out of his brother if he asked point blank.

But Law was more important right now, and Rocinante wanted to be there for him. It was completely unacceptable that Law would succumb to poisoning when Rocinante had only known him for just about two years. There had to be a way to get rid of the poison, and Rocinante would give assistance in finding it. Even if it meant dealing with Doflamingo again, since Rocinante was fairly certain that his brother knew he wouldn't leave well enough alone. If confronting his brother was what it came down to, then Rocinante would be willing to do so in order to help the dark haired surgeon.

Since Rocinante loved Law so much, the blond haired officer felt that it was worth it to cross Doflamingo to get some answers.


	36. Chapter 36

Rocinante hesitated outside of the room that Chopper had indicated that Law was in. Part of the blond haired officer wanted to go and confront his brother then and there, while the other half of him wanted to check on Law, in order to reassure the dark haired surgeon. In whatever way he could. Worry for Law's well-being trumped the troubling idea of confronting his brother as Rocinante entered the room without knocking.

"Cora?"

As soon as Rocinante heard Law's voice, he headed straight for the dark haired man and the bed he currently rested on. The blond lowered himself not on the nearby chair, but on the bed itself as he checked Law over himself.

Law appeared to be even more worn out than he had been before, and whatever had happened between this morning and now was visible in the way that his breathing was still labored. Rocinante rested a hand over the surgeon's nearest one. "Kaya said that you weren't taking the news well. What did they tell you?" Rocinante couldn't help but smile as Law turned his hand over beneath his to clasp it lightly.

"They told me that it was some type of poison that had worked its way into my bloodstream." Law closed his eyes briefly. "But it doesn't make sense. The only type of venom I may have come into contact before could only be from food poisoning, and that hasn't happened in years."

"But you have come into contact with some poison, and I'm sorry that I didn't figure it out sooner." Rocinante said softly as he gripped Law's hand securely in his own and hesitantly met Law's now open eyes. "Doflamingo."

"He hasn't been anywhere near me. How could he-" Law trailed off before his golden eyes widened in realization. "The time he handcuffed me?"

"Yes. Apparently there was some poison on the metal and it went into the cuts the handcuffs worked into your skin." Rocinante said with an unhappy expression at the thought.

"But…why did it take so long for anything to happen?" Law questioned. He squeezed Rocinante's hand lightly when it looked as if the blond were going to interrupt. "The dizziness I felt. That was the first time I noticed something wrong. But I…I thought I was just tired. Overworked." Law rested back against the pillows with a sigh as he traced his thumb over Rocinante's skin absently. "I don't suppose you figured out what kind of poison?"

"What do you mean?" Rocinante knew he couldn't lie about talking to Doflamingo and could tell as much from the weary look Law threw him. The blond took a breath and sighed. "I did talk to my brother. He was quite glad to confirm my suspicions, but he wasn't about to tell me the antidote. In fact, he all but told me that it wasn't a natural poison."

"It would make sense if that was the case. It would explain why Chopper and the others are having a hard time trying to figure out what it is." Law said as he loosened his grip around Rocinante's hand. "We've tried some anti-venoms but they don't appear to be helping."

"From what Doffy said, I wouldn't try too many of them. He seemed to hint that doing so would make things worse." Rocinante said dejectedly. He frowned a little when Law looked guarded all of a sudden.

"I told them to try as many anti-venoms as they could. But if what you're saying is true, then perhaps it wasn't the best idea." Law said as he sagged against the pillows further. "In fact, could you get one of the other doctors? I don't think that my body is responding well. It doesn't feel…right."

Rocinante went, because he didn't like the way Law had suddenly sounded out of it. And he was glad he went when he did, because Chopper was able to get to the room quickly in order to help. Rocinante had to stay in the hall while he waited for Chopper to stabilize Law, because apparently the anti-venom had indeed made things worse and had almost caused Law's body to go into shock, as if he had been given an injection of actual poison instead of a treatment to neutralize the poison.

The blond haired officer's nerves were shot by the time another few hours slipped by, and it didn't help that he received a text message, and from his brother, no less.

_ By the way, if Law does happen to have several anti-venoms in his body, they will only work against him and trick his body into thinking it is more venom. _

Rocinante felt that Doflamingo should have said as much over the phone, but figured that it was just another way to torment him. But the fact that he had sent it confused Rocinante, until he began to wonder if his brother had someone working for him in the hospital. It was an unnerving thought, and he hoped that Law could be given something to take that would help and that Rocinante might be able to take him home to better protect him. The blond haired officer didn't bother to text Doflamingo back. He would do that later, since his brother had only told him not to call him. When Rocinante went back into the room, he stooped in order to hold a whispered discussion with Chopper about his concerns and whether Law would be able to go home.

"We might be able to use one of the drugs we've developed to slow the progress of the poison, since the anti-venoms aren't working. He would have to take it easy, and come to the hospital every other day to have everything checked out." Chopper said quietly. "What we really need is a way to find out what the make-up of the poison he's been given is. If we know that, we can develop an anti-venom that will work. There could already be an antidote if it was used. I would doubt that someone would make something like this without a way to cure it in case they came into contact with it."

"I'll see what I can find out. I may know where those handcuffs have gotten to." Rocinante said, before he and Chopper parted ways. The blond haired officer immediately went over to Law's side, and had again ignored the chair in favor of being right next to Law. Rocinante's brow furrowed with worry as he saw Law resting fitfully on the bed, but at least his breathing had evened out.

"Law…" Rocinante murmured as he carefully leaned over and brushed a kiss against the surgeon's cheek as he ruffled the surgeon's hair lightly.

Law's eyes opened slightly and once he saw how close Rocinante was, he reached out with a hand to grip the blond's sweater and tugged.

Rocinante smiled weakly at the gesture before he shifted closer. He was understandably surprised when Law kissed him, but he soon returned the feather light kiss as he wrapped his arms around Law in a loose hug. "I think I know where the antidote is, if Chopper and the others can't figure it out."

"Can't you get it?" Law asked as Rocinante settled him on the bed carefully.

"If there is one, my brother will have it." Rocinante said darkly.

The dark haired surgeon looked distressed at the very idea. "Then don't. Chopper can and has worked under difficult circumstances like this." Law said, and there was a note of concern in his tone when he spoke again. "I don't want you going anywhere near Doflamingo."

"But if he-"

"Don't. He might hurt you again." Law insisted, before he let out a sigh. "Don't go. Chopper said he knows of a drug that will slow the progression of the poison. I want to go home. I don't want to stay here." Golden eyes settled wearily on Rocinante. "I want you to stay with me."

Rocinante felt terrible then; because there was no way that he wasn't going to Doflamingo to get that antidote. And if he had to get beaten up and humiliated in the process to get that antidote, which wasn't out of the realm of possibility, then he would. Law's health was far more important than anything Rocinante would have to go through to get that antidote.

"Cora. Don't go." Law insisted, and there was a hint of desperation that hadn't been there before. "I don't want to see you on an operating table again and bleeding out like you had been from all of those injuries."

"I know." Rocinante lay down on the bed next to Law and hugged him to his chest, mainly because he didn't want the dark haired surgeon to see his face. He was going to have to lie, and he hated to do that with Law. "I want to stay with you too." Rocinante waited until Law had relaxed enough to fall into a fitful doze before making a move. Rocinante brushed the surgeon's hair back to leave a light kiss on Law's forehead. The blond drew back as he whispered in a barely audible tone. "I'll be right back." At least, Rocinante hoped he would be as he slid off of the bed and exited the room. As soon as the door was closed, Rocinante had his phone out in an instant to send a text. _You know what I'm going to ask, don't you?_ Rocinante was honestly surprised to see such a quick response, which the younger blond figured meant that yes, Doflamingo knew exactly what he was going to say.

_ Of course, but then you know what I'm going to say too. Isn't that right, Roci? _

_ I will have that antidote. _ Rocinante texted back _. I won't let you do this to Law._

_ I already told you why I'm doing it, so why would I bother even giving you a chance to get your hands on an antidote? If there is one, that is. _

Rocinante didn't respond. He left the hospital instead, because he didn't want to have to watch Law be so miserable if there was something that would help him. The blond haired officer figured that he should have known better than to think getting to his brother would have been easy.

Being struck from behind in an alley proved that, and so did the consequent beating that he hadn't been able to fend off after the initial strike had left him dazed.

Disoriented, Rocinante lay still on the ground after the people that had jumped him were finished. The blond did a quick check and was relieved that he didn't seem to have anything broken. But he was most certainly going to bruise and being as clumsy as he was, the next day or two was going to hurt more than usual. Rocinante thought that he was going to be left alone since the point had obviously been made, but a foot that dug hard into his upper back said otherwise

Rocinante braced himself for another round of beatings, but nothing happened. Instead, another of his assailants came forward and yanked his head up by his hair. Rocinante soon found a cell pressed up against his ear and was greeted by the sound of Doflamingo's laughter.

' _You don't listen or read very well, do you, Roci?'_ Doflamingo laughed again at the silence he received in return. ' _Fufufu. Very well. Take this as a little warning if you continue to be persistent in this matter. The next time you try, you'll find yourself laid up in the hospital to keep your brat company. The next time…well, you know what I would do, right?'_

Rocinante said nothing. He wasn't sure he could even talk anyway, since one of his assailants had punched him in the gut moments before and had driven his breath from him.

' _Go along and run off to your little surgeon.'_ Doflamingo said in amusement. _'I'll overlook this for now, but don't try to find the handcuffs or the antidote again. I'm making a point, remember? I can't have you get your hands on a cure. It would cause the point I'm trying to make worthless.'_

The phone was moved away and the people that had cornered Rocinante left as suddenly as they had come.

Rocinante remained where he was before he slowly levered himself up and winced. He knew that Law wasn't going to be happy, but it had been worth a shot. Rocinante unsteadily made his way back to the hospital, and knew that he was going to not heed his brother's warning, because he was going to get that antidote in whatever way he could. Because Rocinante knew that he was not going to watch Law slowly die before his eyes from an unknown poison when the blond knew exactly where he could find the antidote.

Rocinante just had to find a way to get to it without getting Law hurt in the process. Rocinante's own safety was the least of his concerns right now while faced with the idea of the dark haired surgeon slowly succumbing to a poison.

It was something the blond haired officer wasn't going to allow to happen to Law, no matter the consequences he may run into to prevent it.


	37. Chapter 37

Law woke abruptly. The dark haired surgeon knew that the sudden shift from rest to fully alert had been because of the dream he'd just had. Now that he was awake, however, he couldn't remember what it had been about. With a sigh, Law rested his head heavily against the pillow beneath it, and glanced first to the left and then to the right to check for Rocinante.

No one was there.

Law was all alone in that room but for the medical equipment strewn about. And after he had asked the blond haired man to stay. Law wondered if Rocinante had understood what he'd meant for the blond to stay in that room with him. Or had Rocinante taken it as staying in a relationship with him instead? Law frowned at the white walls and wasn't sure what to think about that. What the dark haired surgeon did know then and there was that he was strangely disappointed that Rocinante had left his side, even if he had been asleep. Law found himself hoping that it was because the blond haired man had had to go to work. That was the only time that Law had left Rocinante's side when he'd been so badly injured all those months ago.

The surgeon left out a sigh and checked his arms, and immediately frowned at the lack of IVs. Perhaps the treatment that he and Chopper were going to try next would be a drug that he took by mouth? Law most certainly wasn't dehydrated; Chopper had made sure he had plenty to drink if he was thirsty. And then Law remembered that he had taken a pill a few hours back or whenever or however long it had been since he'd fallen asleep. The surgeon wondered how long it would take to tell whether the drug Chopper had given him would have any effect. The surgeon still felt rather wretched now that the poison had worked its way into his system all the way. Law rested the back of his hand over his forehead and felt slightly cheered at the fact that he didn't seem as overheated as he had been before.

The door opened and the dark haired surgeon reluctantly withdrew from his thoughts. When Law checked to see who had entered the room, he was sure that he had made some kind of embarrassing sound at the sight that he was greeted with. The door closed and Law couldn't help but stare more than he normally would have. The surgeon was not at all used to seeing Rocinante with makeup on his face, after all. In fact, he'd only seen it once before when the nurses had been cleaning it off when he'd been injured.

The blond haired officer paused just inside the door, which allowed Law to get a good look at him. Rocinante was wearing that black, feathery jacket, and the red hood with the heart tassels that gently bumped against his upper chest as he moved. The makeup was what made Law stare the most, because there was the mark beneath Rocinante's right eye, and the elongated smile that was painted over his lips and beyond made it hard to tell if the blond haired man was actually smiling or not from where he stood in the dim light. Law wasn't sure if it was because he was sick or tired, but he wondered if he ought to be concerned that his damn body had decided to take interest in the sight of Rocinante looking differently than he was used to. Law felt that he had to be blushing by now, and knew it for sure when Rocinante drew closer. Especially since the surgeon could now see that the blond was wearing a smile. And worse, Rocinante was wearing a knowing smile, as if he knew exactly how he was affecting Law before the surgeon himself knew it.

Law tensed as the blond haired officer sat down on the side of the bed and leaned in close to rest his forehead against Law's. The dark haired surgeon would have enjoyed the contact and gesture more had Rocinante not ruined the moment by speaking up in a faintly teasing voice.

"Did I discover a kink?" Rocinante continued to smile as he drew back and brushed a kiss across Law's forehead. "I didn't think that you would have any. Not much seems to faze you, after all."

Law couldn't say anything, at least until Rocinante drew away and smiled at him patiently. The dark haired surgeon found his voice and spoke as he averted his eyes. "Why are you dressed like that?" But he said it in a way that wouldn't discourage Rocinante from wearing it again. Rocinante beamed at Law and the surgeon squirmed in place on the bed because he could still see the blond out of the corner of his eyes. Law twitched as Rocinante rested a hand over his nearest one and spoke softly.

"I wanted to try and cheer you up." Rocinante looked Law over, before his tone grew a little heaver as it turned amused. "I had no idea that it would affect you like this though."

"I…I don't know what you're…talking about." Law managed to say but exhaled sharply as Rocinante scooted closer to him on the bed to wrap him in a hug. Law hesitated only a moment before he immediately buried his face against Rocinante's upper chest amid the feathers of the jacket. Law could tell from breathing in once that the blond must have smoked before coming into the hospital. But at the moment Law didn't care about the potential health hazard as he was already poisoned as it was. And a hug was exactly what he needed right now even if he was never going to fess up to the fact. The surgeon reached out with his left hand to brush it over Rocinante's nearest arm, and found that the blond haired officer was actually wearing the jacket instead of just draping it over his shoulders. Law tilted his head to the side as he moved his left hand again to toy with one of the straps of the hood, the part with the heart. Law stilled as he felt Rocinante nuzzle the top of his head, the blond's voice soft.

"May I kiss you?"

Law's heart fluttered at the cautious yet hopeful way that Rocinante had asked the question. The surgeon wondered why it had made him react like that, but Law dismissed the sensation and wondered instead why Rocinante thought he might say no. He had no reason to say no. Law curled his hand around the heart and realized that he really wanted to kiss Rocinante too. Love was rather strange with the way it made him act even while sick. Because being poisoned shouldn't mean that he couldn't kiss the person he cared about. The surgeon decided to focus on something else before he became overly sappy and made Rocinante happily cry over it and settled on the makeup the other man wore instead. "As long as that lipstick doesn't come off, you may." Law held still as Rocinante settled him back against the sheets and pillows, and gave the other man a look of confusion. At least until he spotted the barely noticeable blush across Rocinante's cheeks as the blond looked down at him. Law relaxed some more and offered the blond a quizzical look. "Why are you embarrassed?" And didn't the other man want to kiss him?

"I think you'll get mad if I say." Rocinante responded as he half settled over Law, right arm resting near the surgeon's right shoulder, his left next to Law's other shoulder to prop himself up.

"What is it?" Law asked, curious, until he realized that Rocinante was shifting and appeared slightly uncomfortable as well. The surgeon managed a tired smirk at the blond. "Does my being unwell and more exhausted than usual make you...ah...aroused?"

"Mmn…more like you're very…cuddle worthy when you're worn out." Rocinante mumbled, reaching out with his left hand to brush Law's hair out of his face. "And you're cute when you're sleepy."

"Must be the drugs." Law said vaguely, not entirely sure what to make of the blond's words, but didn't get to say anything else because Rocinante had gone and kissed him. Making sense of the other man's words didn't matter after that, because it seemed like it had been far too long since they'd last kissed. Which had to have been just a few hours ago. Law decided he must be slightly loopy on the drug but decided to focus on the kiss for the time being. The dark haired surgeon reached up to dig his hands into the feathers on either side of Rocinante's neck. The kiss started off light and sweet but as it went on and Law's hands got to the tassels of the red hood and tugged them, Rocinante settled further over Law so that their bodies were pressed together as they kissed. Law didn't even realize in that moment that Rocinante had flinched when the surgeon began to card his hands through the blond hair that peeked out from beneath the hood.

Rocinante's presence was warm and reassuring and even though the kiss ended all too soon, Law was happy. Inwardly, of course, and more so when Rocinante indicated without words that he wanted to cuddle as he settled on the bed alongside Law.

"Love you." Rocinante breathed again Law's neck.

The dark haired surgeon clung to Rocinante and his feathery jacket like a lifeline as soon as he remembered that there was poison in his system.

-x-

Rocinante was pleased to cuddle with Law for as long as he was able to, but the happy mood vanished as Law spoke some ten minutes later.

"You're not going to go to your brother's, are you?"

Rocinante hesitated a moment too long to answer.

"You already did. Why? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Law asked as he began to run his hands over the blond. The surgeon's eyes darkened at the flinch he drew out when he passed his hands over Rocinante's chest. "What happened?"

"Doffy didn't hurt me. He had other people do that. As a warning. I didn’t even get very far." Rocinante hugged Law to him before the other could protest. "I need to get into my brother's place and get that antidote." The blond haired man shook his head. "But I don't want to leave you alone in the hospital, because he's made it clear that he'd hurt you if I try one to many times."

"You're a police officer and you're thinking of breaking and entering?" Law asked, and managed a wry smile.

"Some things are worth breaking the rules for." Rocinante grew serious. "And if something goes wrong, I-"

"Nothing will go wrong because you aren't going." The dark haired surgeon cut in as he gripped Rocinante's feathery jacket as tightly as he could.

"I need to, Law. I do not want to watch this poison slowly kill you if there is an antidote." Rocinante could tell that Law was clearly agitated even if he was too tired to really voice or show it. But the dark haired surgeon certainly clung more tightly to him as the surgeon changed his grip into a hug. As if to keep Rocinante from going anywhere.

"Oh." Law said, as if something had dawned on him.

"Law?" Rocinante asked. "What is it?" Whatever it was, it wasn't going to change the blond's mind about helping Law, no matter what.

"Wait until I get to go home. Penguin and a few others can stay with me at the house at all times if you insist on doing something foolish." Law loosened his grasp around Rocinante so that he could lock eyes with the blond's. "But I want you to take Shachi with you. It would make me feel a little better."

"Why would I take your roommate?" Rocinante was confused. "I don't want to involve anyone else. My brother can hold a grudge for a long time."

Law offered another faint smirk as he started to play with the heart tassel of the hood again. "Shachi's lock picking skills would come in handy." The surgeon's smirk deepened as he elaborated. "Shachi's a former thief. He tired breaking into my place some years ago and I made sure that that was the last time he attempted to steal from anyone."

"You have interesting roommates, and friends." Rocinante wanted to ask how someone like that would be allowed to live with Law, or why the surgeon would allow it, but couldn't find it in him to argue right now.

"They are who they are." Law said simply as he absently tugged the heart tassel again and retained eye contact with the blond. The surgeon's next words were said almost shyly as the smirk faded to be replaced with a tiny, genuine smile. "It's good have a…partner, who is interested in my well-being. Most people aren't as attentive as you are when it comes to that."

Rocinante smothered Law in desperate kisses right after the surgeon had spoken, thrilled to have Law even hint at their relationship as such. It made him incredibly happy and more determined than ever to get that antidote. And Law was right, having someone who could pick locks would be useful. Rocinante just hoped that Doflamingo wouldn't know about Law's roommate's apparent skills. Although Rocinante had suspected something fishy when Shachi picked Law's bedroom door that one night.

The door to the hospital room opened just then and a familiar voice from one of the nurses drifted in.

"Let that poor man breathe, officer. It's great that you two love each other and all, but Dr. Trafalgar really needs all the oxygen he can get right now. Didn't he have trouble breathing earlier?"

Law's blushing visage made the interruption worth it as the blond haired officer pecked his cheek one last time. As Rocinante watched Law hide his face beneath the sheets he realized again just how much he loved this man. Rocinante brushed his hand over Law's and smiled as the dark haired surgeon gripped it tightly.

Rocinante knew, as he had before, that he would do anything for Law, even if it jeopardized his own safety.


	38. Chapter 38

After a week of being monitored in the hospital, Law was finally allowed to go home. With the expectation that he go to the hospital every other day to check on the way his body was reacting to the drug he'd been given. So far, Chopper had been optimistic about the drug halting the progression of the poison a fraction, but wanted to look into the drug some more before trying a higher dosage.

Law had relented to the agreement, if only because he wanted to stop being interrupted from his time with Rocinante. Several times that week already they had been playful teased after nurses or assistants had watched Law and Rocinante sneaking kisses to one another. Or otherwise being affectionate around one another.

"How are you feeling, Law?" Rocinante asked, cutting the surgeon's musings short.

"As well as I can be after having so much blood drawn to check on things." The dark haired surgeon murmured drowsily as he leaned comfortably against Rocinante's side. Law discreetly held the blond's hand as the taxi drove them back to his house. "I'll be better once my blood replenishes itself."

"I'm looking forward to meeting more of your friends." Rocinante kissed Law lightly on the cheek.

"...don't say it as if I am incapable of having more than two friends." Law said as he tilted his head to glance up at Rocinante. "And stop smiling at me like that. I am perfectly capable of interacting with people outside of work."

"I wonder." Rocinante said in amusement as he took a quick peek at the taxi driver. Satisfied that the cabbie wasn't paying them any mind, Rocinante swooped over and pecked Law on the lips. "You're certainly grumpy enough around other people that it drives them off."

"Except for you." Law said quietly as his hand tightened around the blond's.

"And why weren't you?" Rocinante asked, and he sounded curious. "Grumpy and standoffish, that is."

"I don't know...you're just...different then everyone else." Law said slowly, as he thought about it. "You were always so nice to me. And you saved me far too often when I was put in danger."

"Ah, so you didn't mind it because I was helping you?" Rocinante sounded a little let down at that.

Law couldn't help but shake his head as he snuggled closer to Rocinante. "No, it was because you didn't push me. You didn't insist that I meet up with you or even do anything with you. You let me decide to do that on my own."

"Because I saw that you were uncomfortable with people telling you what you should do?" Rocinante asked as he freed his hand so that he could run it through Law's hair and ruffle it gently.

"When did you see something like that?" Law asked, eyes closing as he enjoyed the sensation of Rocinante's hand in his hair.

"Before you gave me your number. It was when you were in the hospital and you were standing firm on something regarding a patient." Rocinante said. "And you refused to do as that person asked because you said something about how you knew the human body better and had a license."

Law thought on it, and since there weren't many instances that he got into an argument, he latched onto the confrontation almost immediately. "Ah, that. Well, to be fair, I wouldn't have wanted to have a son gifted in sports to have to have his leg amputated. But it was either that or he died from the infection in the wound." Law sagged against Rocinante. "I actually heard from one of the nurses recently that he's in rehabilitation with prosthetics. And is doing remarkably well. Might even take up a sport again when he's used to the prosthetic."

"And that's another thing I love about you." Rocinante said as he happily cuddled against Law further.

"I thought we were talking about me not being so grumpy around you and how I don't like being told what to do?" Law asked mildly. He didn't protest how closely Rocinante was pressed to him. "We really shouldn't be talking about my patients. Confidentiality, you know."

"You didn't say any names. And it is something that I really love about you." Rocinante shifted so that he could kiss Law again and smiled more widely when the surgeon attempted to join in as he wrapped an arm around the back of the blond's neck for balance. Rocinante waited patiently before he finished his reasoning. "I like that you care about how your patient's recovery goes after the surgery."

Law managed a faint smirk after the kiss. "I think you've healed just fine after what you went through." The surgeon shyly kissed Rocinante again. "Just a few extra scars, nothing else."

"Hm, but I had a good surgeon to look after me." Rocinante teased as he kissed Law's nose. "Of course I'd recover well with all of the attention that you gave me."

"Oy, you two lovebirds get outta my car already." The cabbie called from the front seat. "Gotta go make some more bucks today so that I can get my girl a present."

Rocinante helped Law out of the car and had the surgeon's face buried against his arm in embarrassment as the blond haired officer paid the cabbie. "Are your friends here already?" Rocinante asked as the taxi drove away.

Law nodded as he peeked up at the blond, a faint blush across his cheeks as he answered. "They arrived about ten minutes ago."

-x-

Rocinante was skeptical of the idea of only three people keeping an eye on Law, but when he met Jean Bart and Bepo, he was reassured for the most part.

Jean Bart was a massive man that seemed to take up the space even more than Rocinante himself did, and Bepo was a man of medium build with whitish blond hair. He currently had a slouched, meek presence about him as he apologized to Penguin about breaking something or another.

As Law was situated on the couch with Penguin to keep an eye on him as he did so, Rocinante waved Shachi aside.

The red head came over wearing a cheerful, eager grin. "Are you really going to let me break and enter someone's place?"

“Yes, that was the plan.” Rocinante frowned at the other man. Shachi sounded far too eager about the whole idea. "But only to get the antidote for the poison that Law's been given."

"Right, the one that was in the metal of the handcuffs?" Seeing the nod, Shachi shook his head. "Not cool. Why would someone do that?"

"Doffy does a lot of things that a sane person normally wouldn't dream of doing." Rocinante sighed. "He just doesn't leave behind any evidence of doing such."

"Is that why you can't arrest him?" Seeing the glum nod, Shachi skirted around the issue as he asked a question instead. "But if we break into his home, won't he or someone else catch sight of us?"

"It shouldn't be a problem because we won't be entering the place the same way." Rocinante lowered his voice. "If anything, Doffy will be focused on me because he expects me to try and break into his home. What he shouldn't be aware of is someone else trying to do the same."

"So you'll be the decoy?" Shachi frowned at the blond haired officer. "I don't think that Law would be very happy to know that you're going to put yourself in harm's way. He might be a bit of an anti social, prickly cactus most of the time, but he really does love you. I'd hate to think what he would do if you suddenly weren't around."

"I know." Rocinante said softly, and couldn't help but smile at Shachi's description of the surgeon. A prickly cactus indeed but soft once one got past the outer defenses Law had put in place. The blond haired officer's smile was gone in an instant to be replaced with a rather morose expression beneath the makeup that he still wore. "That's why I don't want him to know specifically what I am doing."

"Then let's pretend you didn't just tell me so Law doesn't try and kill me later if something does go wrong." Shachi said, oddly serious.

"Are you ready to go?" Rocinante asked, not wanting to dwell on the troubling possibility.

"As soon as I get my kit and change my clothes I can be." Shachi said confidently.

"You still have a burgling kit?" Rocinante asked suspiciously.

"Hey, never know when it might come in handy, right?" Shachi commented cheerfully as he walked off.

Penguin appeared next to Rocinante. "Law wants to talk to you before you go. I and the others will be in the kitchen."

Rocinante gave a single nod and with a deep breath he turned and went over to the couch where Law was spread out comfortably. "Feel better now that you're in your own home?"

"Yes." Law said simply as he reached out with a hand.

Rocinante settled on the chair as he took the hand and gave it a few kisses. The blond knew that the surgeon hadn't expected him to do that from the way he flushed.

"You're going to be careful, aren't you?" Law asked after a moment. "Both of you?"

"As much as I can be where Doffy is concerned." Rocinante said in reply as he squeezed Law's hand in his own. "And I'll make sure that Shachi knows to watch his back."

Law tugged on Rocinante's hand, his eyes averted as he spoke. "I want you to kiss me again before you go."

Rocinante found Law's admission then to be very adorable and wasted no time in half resting himself on the couch to give Law a kiss. When he drew back, one of the surgeon's hands gripped the tassel of his hood and tugged it. "Leave this here. I don't want to have to make it again."

"You just want something of mine to hold on to, don't you?" Rocinante teased as he removed the hood and handed it over. When he saw Law clutch it subconsciously to his chest, Rocinante leaned over and laid kisses all over the surgeon's face as he spoke warm 'I love you's' between the kisses.

Law half-heartedly fended the blond off but never let go of the red hood.

Someone cleared their throat loudly, breaking the moment. Shachi's faintly embarrassed voice followed soon after. "Wow, I didn't know you went for all those smooches, Law. How are they?" The red head's voice turned sly. "Do those kisses make you have...strong naughty feelings for your officer?"

Rocinante laughed as Law hefted a pillow and chucked it in Shachi's direction. It landed short as the red head laughed as well.

"It's good to know that you still have enough in you to be embarrassed despite being sick." Shachi said, still smiling.

The dark haired surgeon ignored his roommate as he turned his attention back to Rocinante and whispered, "Don't get hurt. I can't help you as I am if you are."

Rocinante knew that he couldn't make that promise so he merely jerked his head in what could pass for a nod and kissed Law one last time. The blond haired officer left Law to hug his hood, and while that gesture made him want to go straight back to the couch to cuddle the other man, Rocinante tried to keep his focus on what he was going to do now. The blond followed Shachi out into the crisp, early winter weather, both blending into their darkened surroundings. Rocinante had pulled on a black hat in an attempt to hide his blond hair, but he wasn't going to be out of sight for long. It was Shachi who needed to avoid detection. Rocinante's only concern as they stole across empty streets and yards was that Shachi seemed to be too excited at the prospect of committing a crime. "Don't let yourself be seen."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not completely rusty." Shachi said, before he added cheerfully. "Just don't arrest me afterward."

Rocinante smiled weakly at that as he led the way. He just hoped he wasn't too clumsy and would be able to give Shachi enough time to get in and out with the antidote.

An hour and a half later and Rocinante was profusely apologizing over and over in his mind to Law as he was chased around the yard by some of Doflamingo's 'family.'

There was no way around it. This was going to be painful. It hurt the blond haired officer in a more emotional way because Rocinante knew for certain that with this level of alertness that Doflamingo had somehow been expecting him that night.


	39. Chapter 39

Rocinante completed another circuit around Doflamingo's large mansion and by the time the blond haired officer reached the side he'd been before, he was breathing raggedly. Shouts from behind him warned Rocinante that he was still being pursued, and he wondered just how long he could remain ahead of them. He was fairly certain that Doflamingo wasn't going to have his family kill him, and his brother had said before that he wouldn't, but still...

The voices drew closer, and became audible.

"Corazon!"

"What are you doing here?"

"The young master said he didn't want you here!"

Rocinante sucked in a sharp breath and forced himself to continue onward. He could have just gone out onto the streets and ditched his pursuers down an alley, but that wasn't the point. He was supposed to be drawing their attention to him, and in return, Doflamingo's. If Rocinante ran off now, he would be putting Shachi in danger. Doflamingo might be more inclined to do something to the red head, as he wasn't a part of the family. Nor was he Law.

The voices drew nearer.

"You can't run forever!"

"He just keeps going in circles! Maybe he got struck in the head before he came here."

"He's clumsy enough he probably did it to 'imself."

Rocinante grit his teeth as he turned around a corner of the mansion again. He guessed he shouldn't have been surprised that they would attempt to belittle him. They had made fun of him for his clumsiness before. Rocinante pressed himself against the building and subsequently, the shadows. He tugged the hat down lower on his head and watched as a few of the faster members of Doflamingo's family appeared around the corner.

"Where's he go?"

"He can't have gone that far."

Rocinante shifted to one side to have his black feathery jacket hide some more of his pale skin, and willed himself to be as silent as he possibly could. If they saw him, Rocinante knew that he was in a very bad position. There wasn't anywhere to run with his back to a wall where he wouldn't be cut off in either direction. The blond would go back out after they had passed by him to start the pursuit again and-

"Skulking around again?"

Rocinante only had a moment to react to the words that came directly from beside him, but it was still a fraction too late to get farther away. A clenched fist smashed into his abdomen with punishing force, and the blond haired officer could only let out a choked cry as he crumpled to the ground. Rocinante struggled to breathe from the sudden punch, but the brief scuffle alerted the rest of the 'family.' Rocinante only managed to curl up slightly to protect himself but there wasn't much he could do as the rest of them ganged up on him and made their displeasure known.

The blond was just grateful that Vergo, the one who had punched him, had gone off somewhere. Likely to alert Doflamingo to his presence, if his brother didn't already know that he was there.

Rocinante didn't remember most of what happened next, mainly because he was drifting in and out of consciousness from the beating that he had received. At the very least, whoever was half dragging and half carrying him along was trying to not knock him around too much more. Rocinante felt that he must be delirious with pain to think such things, because he was fairly certain that everyone in Doflamingo's family had known about the blond haired officer spying on them all.

It wasn't like Rocinante had wanted to do the spying, but he had felt that since the police station had wanted someone to keep tabs on Doflamingo, that he ought to do it. Because Doflamingo was his brother, and felt that he should be responsible for keeping an eye on him. It wasn't like the blond haired officer had had anything better to do until Law had come into his life anyway. Besides, Rocinante had suspected that Doflamingo had had a hand in their father's death, but while Rocinante had told Law he had lost his parents that one time in the park so long ago, it had been a white lie. Rocinante and Doflamingo's mother was still alive and living happily, albeit a little sadly, with some acquaintances of Rocinante's.

She had been told that all three of them were dead from an accident some twenty years ago.

Rocinante willed himself to not cry at the thought lest Doflamingo take it as a reaction to being caught and beaten in the present. Because that wasn't why he would cry. Rocinante wanted to see his mother, and he knew that Doflamingo would too, as weird as he was, but Rocinante couldn't bring himself to tell him. Or let their mother know that they were actually alive. The only reason that their mother likely didn't know of their existence was because of the fact that she lived off in the countryside, away from the city and its politics. The most she would get were casual updates on the city itself; not the people, unless they were politicians. The blond haired officer was relieved that Doflamingo was not one of those.

But as the years passed, Rocinante wondered more and more if he should have let Doflamingo know sooner about the fact that their mother was alive. Perhaps his older brother wouldn't be the way he was, but because of their father's death...

Rocinante briefly closed his eyes. He just didn't want to make their mother grieve over the fact that her own son had killed her husband. Perhaps Rocinante could tell Doflamingo sometime, once he showed some sign of changing.

It might be too much to hope for, especially considering the circumstances Rocinante found himself in.

"Fufufu. You're thinking upon something very hard. Or are you just about to pass out? With those wounds, I wouldn't be surprised if you did."

Rocinante struggled out of his thoughts and realized that he'd been lowered to the ground at some point. And he appeared to be all alone in the room that he'd come to before to rescue Law from Doflamingo's clutches. The blond haired officer found it somewhat ironic to be the one in need of saving now, and there was no one there to help him. Rocinante only hoped that Shachi had some self-preservation instincts and would keep out of sight if he happened upon them. Rocinante wheezed in some air, and knew that he had to be bleeding from the wet feeling that had soaked through some areas of his clothing. It wasn't the worst that he had been hurt before, but it was still painful. And from the look his brother was wearing, Rocinante knew that he was going to experience some more pain before he was left alone.

"You're very foolish, Roci." Doflamingo admonished from where he lounged on a chair. "You know that I will follow through on my threats, so why do you even bother?"

"Won't let you...hurt Law..." Rocinante managed to wheeze out. He wondered if some of his ribs had been cracked or even broken, because it was painful to even breathe.

"You should really be more concerned for yourself." Doflamingo said with a nasty grin as he drew a pistol out of his jacket and cocked it.

Rocinante knew that he was in no shape to put up a fight and hoped that Law wouldn't hate him for this.

"I won't do anything to Law this time around." Doflamingo said as he rose out of the chair. "But I am going to make good on my promise to lay you up in the hospital with him." The veins became a little more prominent across Doflamingo's forehead as he aimed the pistol. "This is the last warning that you will get. Hope that someone will help you to the hospital, because the farthest I'll have you brought is my lawn."

Rocinante bit his lip again. He wanted to ask why so much had changed. To tell Doflamingo about their mother in a way that wouldn't set him off for withholding that information. To ask him why he felt the need to do the things that he had done in the city. But Rocinante didn't get the chance as a shot went off. And then another.

And another.

But as the shots were fired, Rocinante knew that he hadn't imagined the sight of Doflamingo's hand shaking before he shot him. And wondered what it meant before he began to fade out of consciousness, with one last internal apology to Law. In case he didn't get to actually say it to the dark haired surgeon about telling his silent lie of not being hurt.

_ 'I'm sorry, Law.' _

-x-

For such a large mansion, it was disappointingly boring compared to some of the places he'd broken in to in the past.

Shachi had explored most of the mansion in the hour and a half that he had been in that large mansion, and had checked every nook and cranny he could reach in search of the elusive antidote. He believed Rocinante when the blond had said that there was one, but when Shachi happened across a computer in an otherwise empty room, he wondered if perhaps the blond haired officer had been duped in some way. The red head grinned to himself as he approached the computer, musing about how much Rocinante would freak out about the fact that he was also dabbled in hacking. Sometimes Shachi just couldn't help himself, and knew that if either Rocinante or Law found out, he'd be in some trouble.

The red head plopped himself down on the chair and shook the mouse to turn on the screen. But if he was helping Law and Rocinante out, then they shouldn't mind a little bit of hacking on their behalf if it got them what they needed. Shachi muttered under his breath as he checked the recently visited sites on the computer, and then perused some of the deleted items from the past month. He focused on one thing in particular that he came across. Something that seemed minor and he would have passed over had he not recognized the name that was there. Or at least thought that it seemed out of place.

Clown.

"No way." Shachi breathed as he entered some code off the top of his head and dug deeper into the data. He whistled as he pulled up the complete email. "Wow, so totally illegal." Too bad it didn't have Doflamingo's name written on it. It did have the name as sent to Joker, but that wouldn't hold up in court, even if it was obviously an alias. The only reason Shachi focused on that email was because of the contents of it. The red head summarized the complicated scientific terms as something to do with poison, and used the few things he gleaned from the email to do another search in another screen he pulled up. With a few more clicks and silent typing, Shachi was able to produce an address to a secluded, abandoned lab in a sketchy part of the city.

Shachi carefully scribbled the address down and tucked it in his pocket before he cleared all traces of ever being on the computer. As Shachi stole out of the room cautiously, he figured that Doflamingo must have lied to Rocinante after all. But there was no way for him to contact the blond haired officer to let him-

The sound of gunfire erupted in a room nearby and with a silent curse Shachi pressed himself against the nearest wall. He flitted from shadow to shadow in the hall toward an exit. Shachi froze in place when the gunfire ended after a few shots, and the red head watched, shocked, as Rocinante was brought out of the room that Shachi had heard the gunfire come from. He noted with trepidation that the blond was bleeding onto the ground as he was half dragged and half carried along the hallway. Shachi saw that they were headed for outside, so he hastily turned and headed for the window that he had entered through into the mansion. A window on the second floor. Shachi got out of the window and relocked it with a few deft movements, and turned his head in time to see Rocinante unceremoniously being dumped onto the ground. The red head waited for Rocinante to stir as soon as the people that had dragged him out had left, but he didn't.

Shachi hastily got himself down from the second floor of the mansion and darted across the lawn, heedless of the potential danger of being spotted. As soon as Shachi reached Rocinante's side, he already had his cell out and had dialed Jean Bart. The red head gave the other man no time to speak, his voice rushed and panicked as he realized just how much blood there was. It was too dark to see how many of the shots had made their mark. "Get to Doflamingo's house. Now. The back yard. I can't move Rocinante on my own." Shachi looked around the immediate area uneasily. "And I don't want to find out what happens if I stay too long."

_ 'Can't Rocinante move on his own?' _ Jean Bart's deep voice inquired.

"No. He needs to go to the hospital. Now." Shachi said grimly as he tried to find something to stem the blood with. He felt that Jean Bart shouldn't have said what he had, because the red head knew that if Law was within hearing range he was not going to be happy.

_ 'We'll be there as soon as we can.'  _ Jean Bart hesitated, before his voice dropped a bit. _'Law wants to speak to Rocinante.'_

"He can't." Shachi said, voice quieter at the thought of having to explain things to the dark haired surgeon.

_ 'I'm on my way there. Bepo too. I think Penguin will drive Law to the hospital.'  _ Jean Bart said.

Shachi figured that would be a good idea, because Law was going to be very insistent that he try and do something to help Rociante despite the fact that he was not in very good shape himself. The red head didn't have much time to prepare himself when Law's worn yet taut voice came over the line.

_ 'I want to talk to Cora, Shachi.' _

"He can't talk to you right now, Law." Shachi said, and he finally had the brilliant idea to make sure that Rocinante was breathing as he waited for Law's response. "I would let you if it was possible." Rocinante was wheezing but any breathing was a good sign at this point in time. It was just shallower than Shachi thought it ought to be.

_ 'What's wrong? Jean Bart said he couldn't move on his own.' _ Law sounded unsure, and it was clear that he was unaware of the extent of Rocinante's injuries. 'W _hy can't he talk?'_

"There was never an antidote here. It was a trick to get Rocinante to put himself in harm's way to delay things. Probably to let that poison work its way through your system even more."

_ 'Cora?' _ Law asked, and it was more like the surgeon was speaking to himself than Shachi. And then a hint of desperation that the red head had never heard before from Law entered the surgeon's voice. _'Wake him up. Let me talk to him. I need to talk to him.'_

_ 'Law.' _ Penguin could be heard in the background, and it sounded as if he was wrestling the phone from Law. _'Stop, Law. We'll leave now too.'_ To Shachi, Penguin said. _'We'll meet you and the others at the hospital.'_

_ 'Cora!' _ Law's voice seemed to crack then, as if Rocinante being unable to talk to him hurt the dark haired man more then he imagined it would. _'You lied! You said you wouldn't get hurt!'_

Penguin ended the call then, and as Shachi pocketed his phone, he felt a brief surge of anger toward Doflamingo for tormenting his friend and Rocinante like this. But Shachi had something that Doflamingo didn't know about.

An address.

Shachi believed that that was where the poison had been made based on the email he had found on the computer. It would stand to reason that that was where the antidote really was. And while everyone's attention was on Rocinante and Law, Shachi would go get that antidote himself. With a little help, of course.

Shachi had another call to make, once he'd made sure that Rocinante was going to get the help he needed.

-x-

Shachi was relieved that nothing more happened to Rocinante before Jean Bart and Bepo arrived to help transport the unconscious blond haired man to the hospital. The red head had just barely entered the hospital waiting room, and found it to be empty. At least until he saw his roommates enter the room moments later. Shachi was immediately accosted by Law, despite the surgeon clearly being exhausted yet high strung from the past ten minutes or so. Law was remarkably strong, all things considered. Mainly by the way the surgeon went up to Shachi to grip him by the front of his shirt.

"Cora was injured so why aren’t you?" Law demanded, his grip shaking ever so slightly.

Shachi could tell that Law was relieved that he was all right, because the surgeon's voice wasn't angry. Just confused.

"Let him speak, Law." Penguin moved over to his friends and gently pried the dark haired surgeon's hands away from Shachi's shirt. And none too subtly helped Law remain upright when the surgeon seemed to remember his exhaustion.

Shachi saw the look in Law's eyes, and knew that the surgeon would accept nothing less than the truth. Inwardly, the red head apologized to Rocinante. It seemed like he wasn't going to be able to avoid blurting out the truth, even if Shachi knew that Law would not like what he was going to hear.

"Rocinante and I went to Doflamingo's mansion with the intention to break into it to get the antidote. You knew that, but what he didn't tell you was that he was going to be the decoy and I would be the one who broke into the building. Rocinante managed to get everyone else's attention and gave me the time I needed to go through the building." Shachi saw the perplexed look and then slight narrowing of Law's eyes.

It meant that Law was either going to get upset over what had been told thus far or he was merely going to become silent and withdrawn.

"But I didn't find an antidote. Doflamingo must have been lying about having it." Shachi shook his head. "And you know that Rocinante couldn't have promised you to not get hurt, especially based on what we had gone to do."

Some nurses, a doctor and a few assistants rushed by, and Law started to follow after them. As if blindly thinking that he would be going in the direction of where Rocinante had been brought to.

"There's nothing you can do for him right now, Law." Penguin said as he prevented the dark haired man from following.

When it seemed like Law was going to try and pull free to go anyway, Shachi walked up to him and boxed Law between himself and Penguin. That action seemed to be enough to crack through whatever façade Law had held up for the past fifteen minutes. The surgeon partially broke down and sagged between his two friends. And kept insisting that he needed to go and help Rocinante.

Despite their reassurances, Shachi knew that there was nothing he or Penguin could do to help placate Law. Because the dark haired surgeon needed to see Rocinante.

And not just hear updates about how the surgery was progressing, because it increased Law's concerns that something could go wrong.

-x-

The hours slipped by but before too long, Chopper, who had been doing some paperwork, had come to the waiting room and brought all three into an empty hospital room. Shachi and Penguin had managed to convince Law to go there because they'd been told by the younger doctor that that was the room that Rocinante would be brought to post operation.

Being in that room also gave Chopper the chance to check Law over, and both doctors were disheartened by the fact that the poison was still making its way through Law's body. It appeared that while the drug was slowing the process, it could not stop it completely.

"It won't stop, will it?" Law asked vaguely as he rested on one of the beds in the room.

"We're going to try a higher dosage." Chopper said in return as he sorted through pills. "It should give us a better idea if it is the drug itself that can't slow it, or if we just need the higher dosage to combat the poison better."

Law took the pills he'd been given wordlessly, and the dark haired surgeon was allowed to doze to wait for the drug to take effect.

"I'll be back to check on Law in a few hours." Chopper said. "That should be enough time to see if this dosage is more effective."

Law ended up asleep not too long after Chopper had left the room but if he had remained awake a few hours longer, he would have seen Rocinante being brought into the room.

But both Shachi and Penguin felt that it was a good thing that Law wasn't up to see Rocinante in that moment. Because the blond haired officer still didn't look too well, despite being out of danger from bleeding out from his wounds.

-x-

Rocinante had a sense of dejavu as soon as he was conscious and aware of his surroundings.

A hospital.

He was in a hospital room again.

That meant that Shachi had to have found him crumpled and bleeding out in Doflamingo's backyard. But the red head obviously had had help, because there was no way that Shachi would have been able to support his weight enough to help him.

Rocinante, instead of focusing on the shape he was in and how terrible he felt had a moment to be relived. Because unlike last time, he and Law were still in a relationship. Although the blond was worried that Law would be angry at him for getting hurt. Because he felt that Law had believed that he wouldn't be.

Law.

As he thought more about the dark haired surgeon, Rocinante had the thought take root in his mind more and more that he had to let Law know that he was all right.

For the most part.

He had to get to or contact Law in some way, because Rocinante believed that Law might be worrying over him, despite the surgeon's adamant denials that he wouldn't do that. Because the blond knew that he worried, and Rocinante loved the fact that Law was concerned for his well-being despite not always showing it. The feeling increased and Rocinante was having half wild ideas of getting out of bed to try and locate a phone despite that being a very bad idea, when a familiar voice spoke.

"You're awake. The doctors weren't expecting that, considering the last time you were in here."

Rocinante lifted his head from the pillow slightly to look across the room to the door, and saw Penguin standing there and looking rather serious, despite the fact that the other man had donned a hat that hid his eyes. Rocinante had the thought that perhaps he should raise a hand to ward Penguin off, because it almost looked as if the other man wanted to lash out at him.

"Law isn't happy, you know." Penguin said simply, not moving from where he stood as he shook his head. "He really believed that you weren't going to be hurt."

"I know." Rocinante rasped. He realized that his chest hurt, and figured that he was really lucky that Doflamingo had only clipped his chest with one of the bullets he had shot.

"We'll leave you two alone." Shachi said from across the room. The red head joined Penguin at the door and the two left the room.

Rocinante fidgeted. He really didn't think he would be able to look Law in the face when the surgeon came to see him. Rocinante didn't want to see any hurt or betrayal in those golden eyes for skirting around the truth of what he had been going to do when he had gotten to Doflamingo's.

"Law…" Rocinante whispered as he wiped a few fingers at the corner of his eyes. He could feel the tears threatening to fall as he sagged against the bed. "I'm sorry…" Rocinante was completely surprised when Law's voice sounded directly next to his bed.

"Then why did you go?"

Rocinante winced as he shifted to face Law, and found the dark haired surgeon sitting on the edge of another bed. The blond immediately dropped his gaze, and the tears he had been trying to hold back began to fall. But he was with Law, and Rocinante didn't mind it if Law saw him cry. "I didn't like that Doffy poisoned you…I thought at the very least, I could get that antidote for you."

"Idiot." Law said, the surgeon's voice struggling to remain calm. "I didn't want you to be hurt."

"I was willing to risk it." Rocinante said as he closed his eyes, though that didn't stop the tears. He heard Law huff something under his breath, and the blond fully expected the dark haired surgeon to scold him in some way about being foolish for getting himself so beaten up. But that didn't happen. Rocinante heard the other bed shift, and he opened his eyes in alarm, thinking that Law was going to leave him all alone in the room. Instead, the blond came face to face with Law.

"You're still a fool for doing that." Law breathed as his lips brushed Rocinante's. "But I love you anyway."

For the second time in his life, Rocinante heard the heart monitor he was hooked up to go wild as Law kissed him. But the blond haired officer reached up with one hand shakily to tangle it into the dark haired surgeon's hair as he returned the kiss. He really, really loved it when Law would be less self-conscious and go ahead with what he was feeling, before the surgeon's mind caught up to him and shut him down. Rocinante caressed Law's cheek briefly with his other hand as the kiss deepened, before he had to set his hand down to keep himself from toppling Law over onto him. Because Rocinante knew that that would hurt with the bruises and wounds he currently sported.

Both were breathless by the time the kiss ended.

Rocinante smiled tiredly at Law, quietly thrilled that the surgeon gave him a very faint smile in return. Rocinante knew then that while Law might not have been happy about what he had done, that he was forgiven for not telling the surgeon the truth straight off. But the moment ended when Law suddenly collapsed against him, and Rocinante was reminded that the surgeon still had poison in his system. The pain that flared up from where Law had fallen limply against him didn't even register in the blond's mind as he focused on the other. "Law?"

No response.

"Law!" Rocinante urged, a little louder this time. The pain he was in was forgotten entirely in the face of Law passed out on his hospital bed. Rocinante's concern merely grew when he rested a hand over Law's forehead and realized that the surgeon burned with a fever. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Rocinante managed to call the nurses in, and watched helplessly as Law was helped onto the bed nearby, with a call for Chopper to come to the room immediately. All that Rocinante could make out was that Law was having some reaction to the drugs he'd been given hours previously.

"The doctor said you should take some pain medication when you're awake." One of the nurses said to Rocinante.

Rocinante wanted to argue. To wait until he knew that Law was going to be all right, and that was when the dark haired surgeon briefly came to.

"Take it, Cora." Law murmured deliriously. "Want you to get better." He closed his eyes. "Don't want to be alone…"

Rocinante took the pills. He would have taken them even if he hadn't heard the faint, pleading tone in Law's voice.

-x-

Outside the hospital room where Law and Rocinante were being monitored, Shachi had heard enough. The red head walked over to a nearby storage closet and hid himself inside. Shachi had his cell phone in his hand as he closed the door.

It was time to make that call.

Shachi knew that he would be doing more breaking and entering, but this time he was going to take someone along with him. He was sure that the person he would contact would be willing to break the rules if it was to help Law. And Shachi had the feeling that he was going to need all the help he could get to locate that antidote at the lab he now had an address for.

And he would have to do it without Doflamingo catching wind of what was going on.


	40. Chapter 40

Shachi had to wait a week before he could carry out his plan, and was terrified that the delay could make it too late to help his friend. Law's condition had worsened, because for some reason, his body had reacted to the drug that he had been given in the higher dosage. Despite the fact that it should have helped slow the poison from circulating, it instead had made the poison in his system progress further.

Rocinante, on the other hand, had improved just enough that, when the nurses weren't around, the blond would go over to sit down on Law's bed. And Rocinante would gingerly hold the dark haired surgeon in a half hug. But not too tightly, as if worried that if he held on too tightly that the condition Law was in would get even worse than it already was.

Law was normally coherent enough during these times to be concerned about Rocinante's own health. Such as the concern of his stitches tearing because the blond was getting up and off the bed when he shouldn't have been. But Law couldn't do much more than weakly hold onto Rocinante's hand and lean up against him. Apart from that he didn't do much other than just listen to the blond haired man speak to him softly.

The surgeon's silence and general lethargic state more often than not made Rocinante want to cry.

Shachi felt that the blond's reaction was from a mixture of helplessness and fear that there was nothing that he could do for Law. But Shachi hoped that he would be able to change that. He had always teased Law about his relationship, but the red head never meant it in a mean spirited way. He was happy for Law, after all. The dark haired surgeon certainly seemed happier than he had been in years ever since he had met Rocinante.

Shachi avoided Penguin on his way out of the hospital to avoid awkward questions or to even be stopped from his venture. Ordinarily, Shachi would have asked Penguin to come along, but he wanted someone at the hospital that he trusted to stay with Rocinante and Law while they weren't at their best. The red head consulted the map on his phone, before he hiked a good few miles through the city to the abandoned cluster of buildings where he was to meet up with the person he'd called a week ago. The reason he had been delayed was because that person had gone and gotten themselves arrested.

The red head sort of felt bad about having the guy here with the potential of being arrested again, but the other man had seemed game. Seemed eager , in fact, about doing some snooping around in a new place. Shachi hoped that things went smoothly. He was already cheered by the fact that he didn't have to wait for long before the other person showed up.

"You sure that there is an antidote is there? This place looks like shit. Why would anyone want to be here?"

Shachi half turned to catch sight of Kidd walking up to him with a scowl on his face as the other red head checked out the buildings with something akin to distaste.

"Yeah, it should be." Shachi said as he started for the side of the closest building. He figured the locks would be decrepit and that would make things easier.

"Should be? What the fuck? You don't actually know?" Kidd griped, even if he fell into step behind Shachi to scout the area out. "Is there anyone even here?"

"We'll find out." Shachi said. "We're out of options anyway. Law's getting worse. He needs that antidote now."

Kidd was silent, but it was clear from his tone that he didn't like what had happened to Law. "Then let's get in and find it, if it is there. I can't try and get him to go out with me if he's dead."

"Too bad for you that he already has someone." Shachi commented, inwardly amused that poor Law was likely being flirted with and didn't realize it at times. 'I highly doubt he is going to change his mind." Shachi couldn't even begin to describe to Kid dhow much Rocinante meant to Law. It was very hard to explain, so he figured that Kidd would just have to see the two alone together sometime to see why he had no chance at all.

"Not gonna stop me from trying." Kidd said with a grin and a shrug.

Shachi decided that the other red head was a lost cause, but Shachi counted himself lucky that Kidd clearly had no interest in him. Otherwise being here in a seemingly abandoned place might be a bit more uncomfortable than it already was. But right now, as he broke into the place, Shachi had high hopes that all would be well, since no one knew that he had found the address to this place.

Thirty five minutes later and both he and Kidd were cursing up a storm as they barreled out a door with several gun-wielding maniacs shooting at them.

"Shit." Kidd snapped as a bullet whizzed by. "What the hell? Where'd they come from?"

"Keep running." Shachi insisted as he and Kidd reached a ledge that had a four foot drop into the street. Kidd jumped down first and Shachi followed, gasping out in surprise when the bottle that contained the antidote suddenly shattered in his hand. "Ah!" The red head hissed as he dropped the shards from his hand. Shachi paused a fraction too long because Kidd was forced to grab him and pull him down as some more bullets went overhead.

"Move." Kidd grumbled irritably, and the other red head did.

But reluctantly.

Shachi was in shock as he and Kidd made their way back to the hospital. Someone had shot the bottle, he was sure of it, and if Shachi didn't know any better he could have sworn that he'd heard Doflamingo's eerie laughter.

But that couldn't be.

Doflamingo shouldn't have known what he was up to.

-x-

Back at the hospital, Shachi sat glumly on a chair as Chopper tended to his hand. But Shachi was more concerned over the fact that he'd been close, so close, to that antidote being in the younger doctor's hands to give to Law.

And he's slipped up.

"Oy." Kidd grunted as he entered the room and held up a plain paper bag. "You said last week that the poison was also on those handcuffs, right?"

"Yes, I did." Shachi agreed as he watched the bandages that were being wrapped around his hand.

"Then here." Kidd said as he walked into the room and set the bag down on the table. "Nicked it before those assholes with the guns started to chase us."

"Guns?" Chopper exclaimed, halfway through putting the medical supplies away. "What were you doing?"

"Never mind that. Can you make an antidote with what's left on the handcuffs?" Shachi asked, mostly to avoid any probing questions of something very much illegal.

Like trespassing on private property.

Chopper carefully opened the bag and checked its contents. "If we can figure out what the kind of venom it is, we should be able to make an antidote ourselves. It might just take some time."

"How long would it take?" Shachi asked, once Kidd had left the room.

"It would depend on the make-up of the venom." Chopper responded.

"Will it be in time for it to be able to reverse the effect on Law?" Shachi asked.

"I'll see what we can do." Chopper said as he left the room with the bag.

Shachi felt terrible as he was left all alone with a throbbing hand. He'd had the antidote in his hands but someone had shot it, and Shachi felt that Doflamingo had to have had a hand in it. Shachi felt as if he had somehow been duped into a false hope that he'd gotten away with the address unseen from the blond's mansion.

But all Shachi could do right now was wait and hope that there was enough time for Chopper and the others to make an antidote.

-x-

Two weeks passed with no news of an antidote. And then another week slipped by. Finally, a month after Kidd and Shachi had gone to the abandoned buildings with the laboratory, there was some news at the progression of the antidote.

But it would still take longer than initially believed.

-x-

Rocinante was still in recovery in the hospital, and had been for a month, but while he was now stronger and could breathe more easily, he was very unhappy right now.

Because Law was only getting worse, instead of better.

Rocinante had snuck over to Law's bed that morning and curled up close the dark haired surgeon to hug him as he gently brushed his lips against the top of Law's head. "You'll be all right, Law. They'll make an antidote for that poison soon."

-x-

Law was awake that day, mainly because Rocinante had woken him up by jostling the bed as he settled on it and curled around the surgeon protectively. It seemed like that was the norm for the past few days, because for a few minutes at a time that Law was awake, Rocinante was always there to hold him and reassure him that everything was going to be all right. The dark haired surgeon was too tired to tell him that it was probably too late. But Law appreciated that the blond haired man was there all the same, even if he couldn't say it to Rocinante out loud.

Law had been in denial ever since he had found out that there was poison in his system that couldn't be treated with the anti-venoms that they had on hand at the hospital. The surgeon had then had cause to be angry at Rocinante for going to Doflamingo's to get the antidote, and had gotten harmed in the process. Law had been going to try and see if he would be able to barter the antidote from Doflamingo in some way but decided that it was best to not get involved any more than he already was. Especially with what had happened to Rocinante. Law had sunk into a depression after that, and it was only because of Rocinante that he hadn't quite given in to the inevitable in the face of no antidote to the venom that currently wracked his body. Especially after yesterday evening.

The dark haired surgeon could tell that his body was losing the fight against the venom that was making its way through his system. Law had finally accepted the idea that he might possibly die from the poison after last night, as Doflamingo seemed to think that he would, when he'd had a terrible spasm. It had wracked Law's body and left him desperately gasping for air as he continued to feel overly feverish. Luckily Rocinante had not been there to witness the troubling sight or he'd have likely cried some more and been further denial about Law's condition than the surgeon himself. As soon as that spasm had passed the previous night, Law knew that there was very little that could be done do to remove the poison from his body. Unless they somehow got their hands on the antidote that could counteract the poison.

"Law." Rocinante whispered suddenly. "Chopper said they almost had it. Then you'll be able get better." Rocinante gently ran one hand along Law's upper back in soothing circles.

Law wanted to tell Rocinante that he didn't have to treat him as if he were going to break. But he couldn't. He didn't have the strength to do so in that moment.

"Please. I know it hurts, but don't give up." Rocinante pleaded as he kissed Law's cheek. He seemed to have noticed the despair that Law was suddenly in when the dark haired surgeon hadn't.

Law weakly leaned up against Rocinante's chest and squeezed the blond's hand. He hated that there wasn't much he could do right now to reassure the blond. But Law did want to let Rocinante know that he was listening to him, even if he seemed out of it as the days passed. "Cora…" It was too painful to speak much more than that, but he didn't have to. Because Rocinante understood.

The blond haired officer held Law carefully against him as he whispered brokenly. "I love you."

Law closed his eyes. He would try to stave off the urge to curl up and let the poison finish what it started. Because Rocinante wanted him to hold on.

So he would.

-x-

Two weeks later and Law was almost unresponsive when the antidote was finally completed. All that was left was to wait and see if it would have an effect. Rocinante refused point bank to leave the room, despite people trying to coax him out in case the antidote had been given to Law too late.


	41. Chapter 41

When Law woke up, he felt as if a fog had been lifted from his mind. The dark haired surgeon realized that he was able to function in that he could have sat up if he had felt like it. Law realized that his temperature was almost back to normal, which meant that he had either been given another drug or even an antidote. Law didn't remember much of what had happened since he'd collapsed. Other than the knowledge that Rocinante had been there with him the times that he had been awake enough to be aware. And that the blond had always been reassuring him that everything would be fine. That Law would pull through once he had the antidote.

It looked like Rocinante had been right this time around.

"Law?"

The dark haired surgeon turned his head to the side and saw that Rocinante was there in the room with him, like before, and was seated on a chair. Law couldn't speak, so he merely held out his hand wordlessly. He wasn't even sure what he would have said, because the surgeon would have been too mortified to thank Rocinante for encouraging him to hold on. That there would be an antidote to help him.  The blond haired officer had stayed there with him in the hospital, even though he had been injured and was still recovering from his wounds.

"You're awake." Rocinante said as he gently took Law's hand in both of his own. The blond rested his cheek against the hand briefly before he kissed it. "I was so worried.  But you're all right now."

"Yes?" Law said, unsure why the other man was stating the obvious. The dark haired surgeon wasn't sure how to describe the feeling he had when Rocinante lifted his head to gaze at him through teary eyes. "Why are you crying? I feel perfectly fine." Law was a bit perplexed. Why was Rocinante crying? It wasn't like he had died. And Law felt much better than he had since the dizzy spells had begun to occur.

Rocinante sniffed as he let go of the dark haired surgeon's hand after giving it one last kiss.

Law wondered if he had done something wrong, and was about to reach out for Rocinante when the blond surprised him by getting up off the chair. And going straight on the bed to settle over the dark haired surgeon, legs on either side of Law's. Rocinante's arms settled on either side of his head. The dark haired surgeon pressed himself against the back of the bed, alarmed at how close the other man suddenly was. Even if he didn't mind that he was in such close proximity, he was still a bit confused as to why. "Cora?" Law was silenced by a kiss, and it was a bit wet because Rocinante was crying, and perhaps a bit more than before.  As if he was finally fully aware of the fact that the surgeon was awake and aware.

"I'm crying because you're awake." Rocinante whispered against the side of Law's throat as he laid a kiss there. "You were in a coma for a few days." Rocinante nuzzled his cheek along Law's temple. "I was worried that the antidote had been given to you too late." The blond haired man hugged Law to him before he flopped to one side of the bed and took the surgeon with him.

Law was about to protest the action because of the IVs, when he realized that there were none. And before he could ask why, Rocinante was crying into another kiss.

"Love you." Rocinante said as he took a shuddering breath and pecked Law's cheek. "I love you." Rocinante rested his forehead against Law's as he let out a slow breath. "I thought I might have lost you."

"It wasn't that bad." Law insisted, even if he knew that was a lie. He just didn't want to admit just how poorly he had been doing as the days had passed.

"Didn't want to lose you." Rocinante mumbled again as he leaned back to kiss Law's forehead.

"You didn't." Law returned as he absently wrapped an arm around Rocinante's back. "I'm right here."

"I know." Rocinante took another breath. Let it out.  "I know, but I was scared. A few days ago, you were barely breathing."

"Shachi and Penguin?" Law asked as he snuggled closer to Rocinante. When he was settled, the surgeon rested his head against the blond's shoulder. "Where are they?"

"At home. Shachi was the one who found out where the antidote was at." Rocinante said. "It was broken but Kidd had been with him at the time and had found the handcuffs. Chopper and the others were able to devise an antidote using the traces they found on the handcuffs."

Law hoped that Kidd wouldn't expect some kind of thanks, but maybe the red head would be appeased if he got another tattoo at some point in time. But thoughts about Kidd left Law entirely as Rocinante gently ran a hand through his hair and kissed him again.  Law's eyes shut as he felt Rocinante gently encourage him to part his lips and when he did the blond delved deep into the kiss in a desperate way.  As if to sear into his mind the memory of the kiss.  Law was breathless by the time the kiss ended, and knew he was in too deep in his relationship with Rocinante when he allowed the blond to give him another searing kiss.

And then another, without any regard to the thought of being caught in the act.

Law squirmed at all the affection he was suddenly being showered with but was at the same time pleased that Rocinante had appeared to be recovering well from the wounds he had been dealt. But the amount of kissing…Rocinante must be very relieved that he was fine. The dark haired surgeon ducked his head beneath the other's chin to avoid being overly embarrassed by the kissing, and spoke, not realizing that he would set Rocinante off again.

"I wouldn't have died." Law said firmly. "I wouldn't have wanted to leave you all alone." The dark haired surgeon gasped as Rocinante hugged him wordlessly but Law could tell that a new wave of tears had started. Happy ones, the surgeon presumed.

The two of them stayed on the bed and clung to one another for what seemed like an inordinately long time. Law would later deny that he had hugged Rocinante as tightly as he had as they waited for someone to come to the room to check the surgeon's vitals.

But just when Law assumed that everything would go back to normal later that day or the next, he found out that he would have to continue to take the antidote for at least a month, if not longer, to make sure that the poison left his system completely. Not only that, but the dark haired surgeon was supposed to take it easy and rest, which meant that he wasn't supposed to overexert himself. Like going on a cleaning spree or cooking. Or doing much more than picking up a book.

Much to Law's horror, Rocinante seemed to get it into his head that he was going to be the one responsible for Law to take care of himself. That the blond haired officer would make sure that the surgeon took it easy. It was much more embarrassing when Law caught wind of the fact that Rocinante intended to help out by waiting on him hand and foot. Which meant potential playful teasing from Shachi and good natured prodding from Penguin, as well as  an overly affectionate Rocinante, who wanted nothing more than for Law to get better the rest of the way.

If Law could have, he would have locked himself in his room out of sheer horror. The dark haired surgeon had no words for how awkward things were going to be for the next month and beyond. But it did help that Rocinante didn't tease him.

Not too much, anyway.

-x-

"Law."

The dark haired surgeon sleepily turned over in bed as he let out a nonsensical mumble.

"Law?"

It was a nice bed, because it was his bed. It was so much comfier than a hospital bed, and Law was very reluctant to leave it. Even if he felt he had gotten more than enough sleep in the hospital.

"Law, it's almost noon. You need to eat something."

Law made some low grumble at that. He wasn't feeling very hungry. Therefore, he had no need to eat until he was. The dark haired man heard his roommate make a muffled laugh. Law dismissed it until he heard Shachi speak up slyly.

"Should I get Rocinante to come and get you to eat something?" The red head's voice turned very devious. "I'm sure he'd feed you mouth to mouth if he had to. He's been very serious about getting you to eat regular meals these past two weeks."

Law was grateful that his face was currently pressed against a pillow. Otherwise Shachi would have seen him faintly blushing. Because Rocinante had given him something mouth to mouth, although it had been medicine that Law had not wanted to take. Because he had felt fine.

Rocinante had countered that by kissing him. The blond haired man had sneakily had the medicine in his mouth and he'd happily made sure Law gulped it down while he'd been locked into that kiss.

Law couldn't look Rocinante in the face after that for the rest of that day.

"Law? Are you going to get up?"  Shachi asked.  "Or should I get your officer?"

The dark haired surgeon let out a sigh. He couldn't let Rocinante feed him anything mouth to mouth. Law knew that he had made an embarrassingly loud moan into blond haired man's mouth when the medicine had been given to him a few days ago. Which had then been followed by Rocinante's tongue as the blond distracted him with a very thorough kiss, as if to make him forget that he'd been forced to take the medicine.  It had been a very nice kiss and one that Law hadn't minded indulging in.

"You are awake, aren't you?"

Law shifted and turned his head to glare at Shachi out of the corner of his eye. It had no effect whatsoever on his grinning roommate.

"I still think I should go and get Rocinante. Just to make sure you don't throw the food away.  I brought you breakfast." Shachi wagged a finger at him. "And please don't stick the plate under the bed. I swear there was a monstrous rat that hung around the house after that and terrorized Penguin when he was cleaning up."

Law said up wordlessly after he had given the red head a sleepy, irritated look. At least until a mug was held right in front of his nose. Law relaxed a bit, the irritation going away as he took the cup and indulged in a few sips of the coffee.  The caffeine was a welcome addition to his sleep addled mind.

Shachi grinned. "I guess I should have said I had coffee sooner. You're always so irritated when you wake up and don't have any caffeine in you." The red head retreated as Law made as if to get up.  "I'm going, I'm going."

The surgeon settled on the edge of his bed with another wordless grumble but felt marginally better after he had gotten through his cup of coffee. Law wanted some more, but he didn't feel like getting out of bed just yet.

"Shachi said you probably wanted another cup of coffee." Rocinante said as he entered the surgeon's room. He carefully crossed over to the bed and offered a fresh cup of coffee.

Law studied Rocinante for a moment before he grunted something, still not fully awake as he took the offered mug. He made no outward sign that he noticed that Rocinante had joined him on the bed. At least until the blond haired officer's face was up against the side of his neck and tickling the skin with his breath.

"Please tell me you weren't just going to have coffee." Rocinante said as he looked at the untouched plate of fruit and eggs. "You need to eat something."

"I'll be just fine with this." Law said, indicating the coffee. "I can have lunch later. I'm not all that hungry right now anyway." The dark haired surgeon nearly let out an aggravated hiss as the mug was snatched from his hand. But he held still in confusion as one large hand seized his jaw. Law wondered what was going on until Rocinante's other hand had grabbed a grape and poked his lips with it.

"You are eating something and if I have to force feed it to you, don't think I won't." Rocinante said seriously. "You have to eat something.  Your body is still recovering from the poison.  Don't make your recovery longer by not eating properly."

Law shook his head immediately, but found that Rocinante's grip on his chin was firm, and he wasn't going to be going anywhere.  The surgeon kept forgetting how much stronger Rocinante was than him.

"Please, Law?  Don't make this so difficult."  The blond haired man wouldn't take no for an answer as he was bound and determined to make sure that the surgeon took care of himself.  

Law took it as a challenge and refused to open his mouth. He hated being told what to do, and there were limits to how much he would listen to Rocinante. But the blond didn't seem to care because he was firm in the idea that Law needed to eat. That the surgeon couldn't survive on coffee and the occasional rice ball.

The dark haired surgeon wasn't sure how it happened. One moment Rocinante was trying to force feed him a grape, and the next second the blond was kissing him in a rather passionate way. And then the grape was in his mouth and Law knew in that moment what had happened and blushed. "C…Cora…"

Rocinante smiled, clearly pleased when Law took the plate and moodily poked the fork at the fruit and grudgingly ate it.  Just as Law was nearly finished with the plate, Rocinante leaned up against him comfortably with a happy smile. "So, Law, I was wondering something…"

"Hm?" Law hummed in response as he set the plate aside.  He allowed the blond haired man to hold his hand.

"When can I start moving things from my apartment to your house?" Rocinante leaned over and kissed Law between ear and jaw, which caused the surgeon to twitch. "You wanted me to live with you here full time, didn't you?"

Law was quiet as , holding onto the blond's hand, turned and got to his knees on the bed so that he could peck Rocinante absently on the cheek. The dark haired surgeon then got up off the bed and went into the bathroom, and there was a click as it was locked. There was a long moment of silence before Law's voice emitted from behind the closed door, heavy with embarrassment. But there was a tiny note of happiness beneath it all that Law could not hide.

"Today, if you want."

Rocinante spent the next hour and a half trying to coax the dark haired surgeon out of the bathroom so that he could shower him with kisses for being so awkwardly cute.


	42. Chapter 42

Law was currently in the small sunroom that contained bookcases, because it was the quietest place in his house. It allowed him to reflect on the past few weeks. The main thing being that Rocinante had taken him at his word and had started to move the small amount of belongings from his apartment to Law's house.

The dark haired surgeon had gotten knowing looks from both of his roommates via that exchanged glance, but Law had luckily managed to convince Rocinante to put most of his belongings into the spare room of the house. The rest went into Law's bedroom, where Rocinante had already been using some of the surgeon's drawers for clothing. And his closet. There was no need for a bed in the spare room, since Rocinante was adamant on sharing Law's large king size bed with him.

Law didn't argue. He secretly liked being able to have Rocinante in the room with him every night. The man was incredibly warm and it actually made it easier to fall asleep. But there were nights when Rocinante had decided that he was too hot and slept naked in the bed as if it weren't that big of a deal. The few times in the past weeks that that had happened, Law had flushed and retreated to the couch for the rest of the night. Despite being together for a little over two years, Law still hadn't quite wrapped his mind around seeing the blond naked.

Rocinante seemed to have realized this, because the next week, if he stripped down, he still wore his boxers or some briefs.

Law was still embarrassed because it still meant that Rocinante cuddled against him with bare skin. And the dark haired surgeon had taken to staring a bit too much at the blond's scarred skin that Rocinante would sleepily curl closer and closer to him. And then Rocinante would hold Law securely against his chest, because the blond seemed to have developed a sense of when Law was going to make an attempt at a cleaning spree. Even if Rocinante happened to be half asleep, he still succeeded in stopping the dark haired surgeon from freeing himself to go off and do something. Anything.

Even though Law still wasn't supposed to overexert himself.

The dark haired surgeon grit his teeth as something crashed in the other room, followed by laughter. The sound interrupted his thoughts, and now that he had tuned in to it, the surgeon could no longer avoid what was going on in his home against his will. The crash had sounded like it came from the kitchen. It made Law very displeased at the thought of the cause. Because Law wasn't in the sun room by choice. He was there because he might very well consider premeditated murder because of the excited teen in the straw hat and a few others that Shachi and Penguin had invited over.

To celebrate the surgeon's almost clean bill of health.

Law blamed his roommates and Rocinante for this terrible, terrible event that was currently going on in his house. Because apart from Shachi, Penguin and Rocinante, as well as the hospital staff, Law had had other people wishing him well on his recovery.

Luffy had been one of them, and the teen had been very insistent that as soon as Law was well enough that they should celebrate. The dark haired surgeon was very quick to shoot the black haired teen down on the offer. Law was concerned that it might happen anyway from the way Rocinante had been smiling at him at the time.

Law's fears were warranted because that was exactly what was happening in his house right now, two weeks later.

A celebration.

A party.

And Law was very suspicious because he was sure that he had seen Kidd, but hadn't since more people had come into the house. Perhaps he'd been spotted by Rocinante and driven off.

"Ah! There you are!"

Law froze in place as a grinning Luffy came into the room and grabbed him by the arm.

"Come on! Everyone's in the living room!" Luffy said as he tugged Law toward the door. "Don't sulk back here! It's your party, you know."

The dark haired surgeon already knew that, which was precisely why he was where he was. But not for long as Luffy managed to half drag, half lead him into the living room.

An hour and a half later and Law was as anti-social as he could be as he made some excuse to flee out the back door. And straight into Rocinante, who had just been returning from a smoke. The two collided and pitched backward to land half into the bushes.

Rocinante had ended up beneath Law, because he had twisted slightly to catch him so that he didn't squash him on their way down. Rocinante laughed softly as he pecked Law on the cheek. "You should look where you are going." The blond haired man teased as he helped Law upright. "Where were you going?"

"Away. Anywhere but here. I was close to slipping something into Luffy-ya's drink to get him to leave me alone." Law said in return as he tried to go past Rocinante. "There are too many people in the house anyway." The dark hared man made a disgruntled sound as Rocinante's arms wrapped around his waist and held firm.

"…there are less than eight people in that house and two of them are your roommates." Rocinante whispered against Law's nearest ear. "They won't be in there forever. And besides, there are more people in the hospital and you're perfectly fine with that."

"That's because...it's for work." Law shivered, suddenly very aware of how close the blond was too him. He made a faint sound in the back of his throat as Rocinante leaned over him and briefly kissed the side of his throat.

"Come back inside with me?" Rocinante asked as he tilted his head up and nipped lightly at the golden earrings on Law's nearest ear. "Please?"

"Fine." Law breathed grumpily, even if he turned his head slightly to meet Rocinante for a kiss. "But I'm going to drug everyone if they continue to make me be the center of attention."

"...you're always going to be the center of attention when you're around me." Rocinante steered Law back toward the house.

"How can you say that with a straight face?" The dark haired man asked after a moment, pretty sure he was slightly flushed.

"Because I love you." Rocinante said simply as he gave Law a half hug as he ushered him toward the door.

The surgeon was certain that he was blushing now.

As soon as Law was back on the house, however, he was suddenly an insufferable sarcastic asshole to everyone else at the 'party.' Although he was very polite to Rocinante whenever he passed by him.

The blond haired officer just seemed highly amused by Law's actions, and later cheered the surgeon up marginally be giving him kisses before they went to bed for the night.

-x-

Law didn't speak to his roommates for three days after the party, and he was sure that neither of them felt bad at all for making the surgeon socialize. But that actually wasn't the problem right now. Because Law had noticed something...different, before and after the party. It had seemed as if Rocinante had been treating him more carefully than he had before.

And since he had time to think things through for the time being, Law couldn't believe the thoughts that were currently going through his mind. Ever since he had come back from the hospital, Rocinante, apart from making sure that he ate and slept normal hours, had only occasionally held him. And Law had finally noticed that when he did, it was always done so carefully. It was as if the blond was worried that he was going to hurt the surgeon in some way. Law figured that it was because he'd been poisoned and had been in poor shape, and Rocinante was worried that he might not be healthy enough for him to hold him. Even though he'd held him tightly in the hospital when he'd been in rough shape.

It was quite the conundrum.

Which meant that the make outs that Law had been having with Rocinante the past month or so were fewer. The dark haired surgeon was appalled with himself for wanting their relationship to go back to how it had been before he'd been knocked flat by the poison.

Law rolled onto his side in his bedroom as he clutched the sheets as another thought crept unbidden into his head. He'd been thinking about his and Rocinante's relationship, Law hadn't minded what they had done before. Law turned over again and buried his face into his pillow, sure that his face was steadily getting darker as more dangerous thoughts entered his mind. Some of those thoughts being that Law actually wanted Rocinante to…touch him in a more intimate way.

Even if the idea of actually going all the way was still an up in the air issue. Law hadn't had the time to wrap his mind around the idea with all the work he did at the hospital. But he'd certainly had time to dwell on it since he'd been recovering outside the hospital for a little over a month. Law knew that Rocinante was likely far more patient than anyone else he could have ever met. Law appreciated the fact that the blond haired man never pushed him too much regarding how much physical contact they had.

Kisses would never be an issue in their relationship. Both of them seemed to enjoy those moments the most because there was never a bad time for a quick or lingering kiss.

Law buried his face as far into the pillow as he could. The worst thing right now was that he was feeling very frustrated over the fact that he was only getting some kisses here and there from Rocinante. And the occasional, very gentle hug. It annoyed Law for some reason, even if he enjoyed any hug from the blond. The dark haired surgeon just couldn't find it in him to think that Rocinante was doing it on purpose, as if to get him to realize that he wanted more intimacy between them.

It was far too devious for someone as kind as Rocinante to think of doing. The man was probably just going slowly to make entirely certain that Law was getting better and that he wasn't going to cause any trouble in Law's recovery. Law felt that it should have been the other way around, because he was still a bit appalled with himself for accidently prodding Rocinante's side where it was still tender. Rocinante had merely smiled at him and kissed him as he had told him that it was all right.

Law honestly didn't know what he had done to deserve someone so ridiculously kind in his life. It made the surgeon want to make sure that Rocinante continued to be happy. And since Law had no work to worry about for now, that's exactly what he had been attempting to do these past few weeks. The dark haired man had, after some self conscious worry over initiating things, had managed to catch Rocinante by surprise by kissing him first on multiple occasions.

The fact that Rocinante beamed at him or otherwise looked deliriously happy made it worth any embarrassment on Law's part for the sheer happiness the blond always happened to radiate after one of those kisses.

But the problem had come after that.

Despite it still being difficult for him to do without a lot of encouragement from Rocinante, Law had tried to initiate make outs. Whether it was on the couch, in his room, in the kitchen or even in the seclusion of the bushes in his backyard, the dark haired surgeon had continuously been halted. Even though Law had been trying to show Rocinante that he was perfectly fine, each time the blond stopped him in the middle of a heated make out session. Hell, Law had even scrounged up enough courage to divest Rocinante of his pants on the floor of his bedroom one time, but the blond had even stopped him then. But Law had been able to tell that the other man had had a hard time holding back. It was clear that he wanted nothing more than to return the touches and caresses and kisses.

But he didn't.

And it confused Law.

The dark haired surgeon had hit the books after the last failed attempt. Mostly because Law wasn't sure how many times he could try before he gave up entirely. It was just too much of an effort with the way he always fought himself over how he felt about Rocinante.

Law turned his head away with a sigh as he eyed the books on the desk in his room. His collection of relationship books and books on sex from Shachi had grown. Law had become very frustrated, more so than before, and wondered if perhaps Rocinante was rethinking their relationship. Even though it was a foolish thought, considering that Rocinante had never let up on the kisses and all the 'I love you's' that he seemed thrilled to bits to say.

Especially in the morning when Law was more often than not grumpy and barely half awake when the blond would snuggle against him. Rocinante would then take it upon himself to kiss the surgeon somewhere on his face, whether it be the lips or cheek or forehead as Law woke up further.

"Law?"

The dark haired surgeon feigned slumber, and was inwardly pleased when Rocinante got onto the bed to spoon against him from behind. All the little kisses that Rocinante soon gave him then cheered Law up slightly, even if the blond clearly thought that he was asleep. But with Rocinante tucked up against him for the rest of the night, Law rested a hand over the blond's arm and gripped the limb tightly as he listened to Rocinante's soft, even breathing overhead. Law wanted more of this, but didn't know the best way to go about asking for it.

It was kind of funny to Law that he actually craved some of the intimacy that he'd been missing out on recently, as he'd initially been opposed to it when he'd first met Rocinante.

-x-

Rocinante couldn't believe that he was being so stupid. He'd been surprised and almost…flattered, that Law had been trying to be more forward, but…

The blond haired man let out a sigh. He was still concerned for Law's health and wasn't sure how much the dark haired surgeon should be exerting himself. But the hurt that he had seen in Law's eyes the last time that Rocinante had stopped him from making out on the couch. It made him feel guilty. Rocinante decided that Law did appear to be doing better than he had been before he'd left the hospital. More so now after nearly a month and showing no signs that he was relapsing. Or rather, showing no sign that the poison was working its way back into his system. The most encouraging thing to the blond was that Law had been sleeping and eating more regularly, even if the surgeon did grumble about it on occasion.

Rocinante fidgeted on the couch and wondered where Law had gotten to. Shachi and Penguin were off at work for the day, and the blond had a day off from the police station and its hectic pace. Rocinante let out another sigh before he rose and went off in search of Law. He had to be somewhere in the house. Rocinante figured they should talk, because the blond had been terrible about talking to Law about why he wasn't being as affectionate as he had been before. He didn't want Law to think that it was in some way his fault.

Because it wasn't.

The blond hear running water, and knew that Law was likely in the master bathroom. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Rocinante headed in that direction. He wasn't sure if talking to Law while he was showering was the best idea, but it would give him an idea about how willing Law was to go back to being more…physical in their affection. By the time the blond haired officer had reached the bathroom, he realized that Law wasn't in the shower as he had initially believed. From the sound of it, he was in the Jacuzzi that didn't get as much use as it ought to. With a faint flush, Rocinante supposed that this was going to be a better indication for him of just how comfortable Law would be around him when clothes were out of the picture.

With that thought in mind, Rocinante reluctantly discarded his pants and unbuttoned his shirt as he headed for the door to the master bathroom.

He hoped that Law wouldn't completely shut down when presented with something a bit...different.


	43. Chapter 43

Law sank further into the water as he let out a low sigh. He really should have utilized his Jacuzzi more often than he did. Law just never really wanted to take the time to relax after work, because he had other things to take care of. Catching up on paperwork and getting things that needed to be done were more of a priority than relaxing in the overly large tub in his bathroom, even if it would have felt very good to get his muscles soothed by the jets in the tub. A quick shower was more than enough for the dark haired surgeon before going in to the hospital for the day. Or night. Law couldn't even remember why he had gotten the Jacuzzi installed in his house in the first place. But now...

Now Law would enjoy it, and he had decided that today was the day that he would take that relaxing bath in the hot tub. The jets made his muscles feel better than before with all of the tensing up he'd been doing as of late. The dark haired surgeon didn't even care that it was the middle of the day that he'd chosen to use it, because it wasn't like he had to go to work. Law hoped that since he appeared to be poison free, that he would be able to go back to work soon. The normal routine that he was used to would be nice to have back in his life even if it could be hectic paced and rather stressful at times. On the other hand, Law would see Rocinante less and would more often than not just meet him for lunch or dinner. At the very least, Law knew that he would be able to see the blond haired man during the evenings that neither of them worked late.

The dark haired surgeon heard the bathroom door open, and let out an aggravated sigh. Law really didn't need his roommates pestering him right now. He was trying to relax and it was hard to even do that if he was interrupted. "Not now, Shachi. I told you before that I left the-"

"Your roommate went to work. Both of them did." Rocinante's voice was tinged with amusement. "Or had you forgotten that?"

Law twisted slightly to catch sight of blond hair out of the corner of his eye. The dark haired surgeon relaxed marginally at the fact that it was Rocinante that had entered the bathroom. But Law wasn't sure what he thought of the blond haired man potentially catching sight of him naked and was grateful for the jets that made the water bubble. The dark haired surgeon shifted around so that he could look at Rocinante while he spoke to him, but the surgeon's words died on his lips as he got a good look at the other man. Rocinante was carefully leaning up against the door to the bathroom, presumably to prevent him from slipping and falling over. Law wasn't surprised because he had heard Rocinante fall over in the bathroom before. But that wasn't the important part that had made the dark haired surgeon incapable of speech. It was the sight that he saw. Because Rocinante only wore an unbuttoned dress shirt and had no pants. Only boxers. The blond haired man also happened to be beaming at Law like he wasn't embarrassing him in the least bit. The surgeon finally found his words and was quick to get straight to the point.

"Wh…what are you doing, Cora?" Law asked, unable to keep the stutter out of his voice. Because of all the things he had expected to see Rocinante wearing when he walked in, what he wore now wasn't it. Not at all, and Law couldn't help but let his eyes rove over the pale skin, noticing scars here and there. It wasn't like Law hadn't seen the blond haired man with less clothing on, but certainly not when he himself wore nothing. And the surgeon knew that that was exactly why the other man had come into the bathroom. But for what purpose, Law wasn't sure. But the blond didn't leave him in the dark for long.

"Can I join you?" Rocinante asked innocently, even if the curve of his lips was anything but. "I'm surprised you've never asked. It is a rather large tub, isn't it? There’s enough room for the both of us, right?"

Law stuttered again, much to his complete and utter horror. But he didn't say no, and that seemed to encourage the blond because Rocinante smiled some more from where he continued to lean his tall frame up against the door. Law made a faint sound when Rocinante shifted and slipped his dress shirt off the rest of the way, taking care to let it slide more slowly than was necessary over his shoulders. And then let it drop from his arms to the floor with a flick of his wrists. The dark haired surgeon couldn't help but look Rocinante over again, and dimly decided the hot tub was big enough for the both of them. It was a safer thought than the half crazy one also forming in his mind of climbing out of the tub and pressing himself up against Rocinante so that he could feel that skin.

The dark haired surgeon's thoughts screeched to a halt as he was mortified of the fact that he wanted to touch Rocinante. Wanted to touch the skin and see the difference between the scarred skin and the smooth looking muscle across his abdomen. Law knew that he had to be blushing at least a little at this point. The surgeon blamed his reaction over the fact that Rocinante had not been as touchy feely in his affections as of late as the blond had been before Law had been poisoned.

"Law?" Rocinante asked as he continued to smile at the dark haired surgeon. "Did you hear me?"

"Yes, I did." Law breathed automatically in return, and since his mind couldn't think of anything better, he added. "And yes, you can. But you don't want to get your clothes wet." Law was going to ignore the fact that he had just basically asked Rocinante to get naked for him. There was no way that the blond would interpret his words in any other way.

"Hm, I suppose you're right." Rocinante agreed as he pushed away from the door to hook his thumbs into either side of his boxers, his eyes on Law. "I wouldn't want to get my boxers wet, now would I?"

If Law weren't already trapped in a hot tub he would have fled into the safety of his room at the tone Rocinante's voice had taken. It sounded as if the blond were beside himself with happiness for some reason at the thought of Law asking him to remove his clothing. The surgeon really couldn't tear his eyes away when Rocinante removed his boxers in a very slow and agonizing way that made Law squirm unseen in the tub. The surgeon suddenly realized his body was not all that indifferent to Rocinante removing his clothing in such a slow way. Even if Law's mind wasn't quite sure what to make of the display other than it was very distracting and found it easier to retain eye contact. But even that made Law feel something, because Rocinante returned the eye contact, and there was something a little darker in his eyes than the usual playfulness that Law was used to seeing. The dark haired surgeon found himself trying to calm his now racing heart when faced with that expression as Rocinante moved away from the door.

But the sudden tension in the room was broken when Rocinante took another step toward Law, only to slip and fall face forward onto the bathroom's tiled floor.

"Are you all right?" Law asked as he calmed down marginally. Rocinante being clumsy was something familiar that he could deal with. That odd look that had been in the blond’s eyes moments before, not so much. The dark haired surgeon leaned over the edge of the tub to peer down at the other man. "I can…" Law trailed off as he stared at Rocinante's upturned backside. The blond haired man had a very nice butt and Law was horrified with himself for wanting to reach out and touch it. The dark haired surgeon wrote it off as a doctor's curiosity because there was a scar on one of the cheeks. Law wanted to ask if it was from Rocinante's job or if it was just because he was clumsy. When it seemed like Rocinante was going to get up, Law spoke up hastily, not done with the view. "Don't move, Cora. There's a bug."

"It had better not be on me." Rocinante said as he stilled. "I still have nightmares about that centipede that Doffy chased into my room one night when we were younger."

"I'll let you know in a second." Law said distractedly as he took that time to study the other man's butt as if to burn it and the rest of the blond's bare skin into his mind. When the surgeon tilted his head to the side for a better angle, he decided that he would slap Rocinante on the ass sometime to satisfy his curiosity of how it felt. Law would do so through a pair of pants, of course, because then the surgeon could use the excuse that he had seen something on his pants to do the action. But Law wouldn't do that right now because all that was there was bare skin. And Law was too horrified at the thought of even touching Rocinante anywhere there without any clothing on to be too much of a concept to take in. The dark haired surgeon stared for a bit too long because Rocinante suddenly lifted his head in time to catch him in the act.

Rocinante's smile had turned mischievous as he carefully got to his knees, his smile gaining strength as he caught Law's gaze. "Is the bug still there?"

"No, it's gone." Law breathed as he struggled to retain eye contact. He was mortified that he had been caught, and it was made worse because Rocinante had slowly begun to inch toward the edge of the tub. It really wasn't fair for Rocinante to be so attractive like that without any clothing on. Law really wondered if all the time that they'd spent not pawing one another had made him start to see things a little differently.

"Law? What is it?" Rocinante propped his arms on the side of the hot tub because he was tall enough even on his knees to get away with it. "Something on your mind?"

"I...I was thinking about you." Law admitted, even if he almost couldn't bring himself to say even that. There was no way to talk himself out of this one, and with the way that Rocinante looked at him, Law wasn't sure that he cared to. But the happy little smile on Rocinante's face encouraged the surgeon to say more as the blond rested his head on his arms. Law gave in and slid a little close to the edge of the tub. He reached out with a hand to trace it along one of Rocinante's arms, over one of the scars there. "I was wondering...why you were always stopping me when we..." Law couldn't say it after all, he supposed. The surgeon did chance a quick peek at Rocinante and was relieved that he didn't have to specify what. Because the slightly guilty expression on the other man's face let the surgeon know that he knew exactly what Law was hinting at.

"I was worried that you might be a bit...fragile, I guess, after having all of that poison in your system." Rocinante admitted after a moment. The blond haired man straightened and settled his hands onto either side of Law's head to ruffle his hair. "I was concerned that I might hurt you."

"I was anything but fragile. Remember how tightly you held me all those nights in the hospital?" Law's eyes closed as he began to enjoy the sensation of Rocinante's hands as they gently ruffled his hair. And then Law realized that the blond haired officer had just leaned forward to kiss him. Law sagged into it as if he found it to be exactly what he wanted. A soft laugh into the kiss was all the warning Law got before Rocinante proceeded to give the dark haired surgeon an open mouthed kiss. Law moaned that time around and for once it didn't embarrass him, mainly due to the way Rocinante used his tongue in that kiss to explore this inside of his mouth. It was very nice, in a distracting way, and Law found that he wanted more.

The kiss ended all too soon for the both of them.

With a breathless laugh, Rocinante ruffled Law's hair a bit more before he let go. "So all those times that you kissed me first, and tried to...make out with me. Are you saying that you've been trying to show me these past few weeks that you're well enough to do more than...hugs and kisses?"

"If you mean going through to the actual act of sex, no." Law said bluntly, eyes on Rocinante’s arms. "I just thought that you were maybe getting bored of me because I’m not...up to that just yet. So I was trying to show you that I was perfectly fine to go back to…what we were doing before."

"L...Law." Rocinante said, and he sounded hurt now. “You'll always be important to me, healthy or sick." Rocinante leaned over and pecked the surgeon on the cheek. "I'll never get 'bored' of you either. If anything, I think that I'll find more things that will remind me just how much I love you."

"Then...if you're not worried about hurting me because I was poisoned, then I...wouldn't mind it if you touched me right now." Law said as he looked off to the side. The dark haired surgeon then admitted to something that he didn't think he ever would. "I tried to...relieve myself after some of the times you stopped me...when I was in the mood. So not very often, but..." Law paused, and then stared down at the bubbling water of the Jacuzzi. "But when I tried to relieve myself, it was difficult." Law hastily moved out of range when he noted movement out of the corner of his eye. "But it wasn't the same as when you...touched me." Law wasn't even sure what he was saying at this point other than the revelation that trying to give himself a hand job was not at all the sensation he had when Rocinante had done the same thing to him. Law dimly heard a slight splash and that was all the warning he got as Rocinante was suddenly in the water with him and pressing him up against the nearest side of the hot tub.

The smile that Rocinante was wearing was so happy that Law had no idea what to say. So the dark haired surgeon merely leaned back against the side of the tub instead before Rocinante leaned over to nuzzle along the side of his throat. Law shivered slightly when he noticed that Rocinante's voice had become a little rougher as he began to leave lingering kisses along his throat and collarbone.

"Law. Do you have any idea how much I've wanted to keep touching you when you tried to make out with me all those times before?" Rocinante asked breathlessly as he began to leave little kisses along the same areas of skin. Especially where he could reach the upper area of Law's chest tattoo, as if he remembered he wanted to kiss the surgeon there too.

"I think I have a good idea." Law said, his voice strained as he felt Rocinante press up against him further and was made aware of just how aroused the other man currently was.

"Then you won't mind if I touch you now?" Rocinante asked as he trailed one hand along Law's side beneath the water. "Kiss you?"

"No, I don't mind." Law said as he leaned further back against the side of the tub, before he added, in a quiet voice. "I want you to touch me."

Rocinante groaned something at that quiet confession before he went to work at Law's neck a little more roughly.

All that Law could think in that moment was that he and Rocinante had never made out in the Jacuzzi before.

-x-

Rocinante couldn't take it anymore.

He had to touch Law and he could only hope that the surgeon would be all right with just how much he wanted to touch him. Because the blond haired officer knew now that he had been stupid to refrain from doing so for over a month, and it clearly had affected Law enough that the other man appeared to be more willing to try more things. But Rocinante was in better control of himself in order to stop should he move things along a little too quickly. But for the time being Law didn't seem to be too distressed at being pressed up against the side of the hot tub to have his throat and collarbone ravished.

"Cora." Law gasped out as he reached up and wrapped his arms around Rocinante's neck.

The blond haired man merely readjusted and started to place kisses firmly down Law's chest that the surgeon held his head against. Rocinante felt Law's arms squeeze around his neck tighter and the blond, after a moment's hesitation, tentatively flicked his tongue out. The sound that emitted from Law was entirely different than he'd ever heard from him before and Rocinante wanted to hear more. The blond dipped his hands beneath the water and lifted Law up with his arms beneath his ass to urge him half out of the water. Law let go of him to hold on to the side of the tub behind him.

"What are you doing?" The dark haired surgeon asked shakily. Rocinante didn't answer as he stared at the tattoo that was now visible before his eyes as he pressed Law up against the tub firmly. With a brief smile up at the other man, Rocinante leaned forward and started to lavish attention all over the tattoo. As the blond licked his way over more sensitive areas, he kept them in mind for later should there ever be a time when they possibly went and had actual sex. But for right now, Rocinante loved to hear Law's stutters and the faint, thin whines as he teased the dark haired surgeon's tanned skin. And then the blond pointed out just how much he loved Law's tattoo as he traced it with his lips again. "I love that you got a tattoo to represent me. It makes me happy that you want to be with me."

"Cora, the tub's digging into my back." Law said with a wince.

"Sorry." Rocinante apologized before he gave the skin one last lick before he moved backward in the Jacuzzi and brought Law with him to rest the surgeon on his lap.

Law steadied himself by resting his hands against Rocinante's upper arms, before he gave the blond haired officer a fairly embarrassed expression. Rocinante knew that the other man was likely aware of the erection he had but couldn't quite articulate to Law at the moment that he wasn't going to do anything about it right now. Because he was more focused on Law and wanting to give the man the attention that he seemed to have been craving but didn't want to admit that he had wanted. But that didn't mean that Rocinante was going to push Law straight into sex or anything else just because they hadn't been very intimate with one another this past month. Even if Rocinante was fairly certain that for Law kisses were most certainly intimate.

The blond was distracted from his own thoughts as Law reached up to cup his cheeks between his hands so that he could kiss him again. Rocinante wrapped his arms loosely around Law's back and returned the kiss. He loved that Law liked to kiss him, because despite Law's denials, the surgeon was a very good kisser. Rocinante even loved the fact that right now Law was probably uncomfortable about them being naked but was going along with it for now to make him happy. Rocinante wasn't just happy. He was currently ecstatic that Law wanted to live with him and share the same bed with him as well as to share their meals and free time together. If they never got around to ever having sex Rocinante would still be a very happy man. Because just being with Law was something he would always cherish since their meeting really had been chance.

"Why are you embarrassed?" Rocinante asked, after they'd finished kissing for the time being and Law had pressed his face to Rocinante's shoulder. He’d begun to notice that Law hid his face in certain instances, and this was one of those times. The blond trailed a hand lightly along Law’s bare back. "You've seen me naked before. You've even, ah, taken care of this." Rocinante shifted his leg to briefly press up against the dark haired man, who squirmed in return. Rocinante honestly couldn't help but find Law's awkwardness of the whole situation to be adorable.

"I don't know why." Law ventured after a moment. "I've given that thought before. The only thing I can think of is that I have never been in a relationship before. A romantic one, that is, with anyone. I was so focused on my job that I never considered the possibility of ever being involved with anyone else." Law reached up to trail a finger lightly along a scar on Rocinante's collarbone. "I do like you quite a bit but when I think too much about this kind of this." Law somehow managed to indicate the fact that they were naked. "I'm not sure that I can handle more than what we've already done before. I've not given very much thought about anything more intimate than that. At least, not too much thought. I have done other...research."

"Are you not interested in sex?" Rocinante questioned, before he added. "It's a perfectly normal thing if that is the case. You should know by now that I would never want to pressure you into doing something that you aren't interested in."

"I'm not interested in doing anything of a sexual nature with anyone else." Law peeked up at the blond before he looked away again. "I certainly have no desire of any kind when Eustass had cornered me that one time at the beach. But I would be willing to try...more with you." The surgeon trailed off as if he had said something wrong.

"You're sure?" Rocinante asked. The blond saw the nod. "I'll stop if it makes you uncomfortable, all right?" Rocinante felt the dark haired surgeon nod again. At this point the blond had even forgotten that they were in the hot tub with the prospect of trying something new with Law. With a faint flush, Rocinante lowered his voice as if he expected to be overheard. "Can I try something different then?"

"Yes."

Rocinante hugged Law to him at the response as he trailed one hand down along the surgeon's back and then beneath the water along the surgeon's lower back. Rocinante felt Law tense up against him as he brushed his fingers along in question. "Are you all right?"

"Hm, I think so. But you're right. It is…different." Law pressed his face against Rocinante's shoulder more heavily. "I actually read something of the sort in one of those books and I experimented...down there a week or so ago." Law gasped as Rocinante suddenly moved his hand away and maneuvered the surgeon out of the water. Law, startled at the abrupt movement, wrapped his arms around Rocinante's neck again lest he fall or the other man drop him. "What are you doing now?"

"I can't tell how you're reacting to me with the jets in the tub hitting us." Rocinante said simply, relieved that he managed to set Law down carefully on the tiled floor outside of the tub. "Do you mind if we continue this on your bed?"

"Technically it is our bed now." Law stated with a faint shrug, even if he was certainly more flushed than before at the suggestion that Rocinante had made.

A knock on the door to the dark haired surgeon's bedroom distracted them both.

"I thought they were at work." Law said in exasperation as he headed off to go answer the door. He'd obviously forgotten that he was buck naked in the face of having his time with Rocinante interrupted.

The sight of Law's uncovered and tattooed body exiting the bathroom in an almost prowl caused Rocinante to slip and fall out of the tub. The blond had not divided his attention very well with part of his mind wanting to watch Law walk around naked. It had made exiting the tub without hurting himself an impossible task to accomplish.

Rocinante shook his head as he righted himself and snagged a towel off a nearby towel rack. He never got the chance to really see Law with less clothing on and he always loved to look at all the tattoos that Law had. Rocinante grabbed another towel and followed after the dark haired surgeon with a wistful sigh.

The blond haired officer still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Law in his life. And to be able to live with the person he really cared about was more than Rocinante could have hoped for.

 


	44. Chapter 44

Shachi returned home early that day.

The red head hadn't had that much to do at the hospital, after all. It had been more of a sweep of all things electronic before it had been determined that he actually didn't have to tweak or otherwise really do anything that particular day. Apart from making his daily passes at some of the nurses and the assistants as he checked on things. Shachi figured that it was a good thing that he had walked and taken the train that day. And now that he was back home, he could take care of a few things around the house. He and Penguin had split household duties between them for the time that Law was supposed to take it easy. The dark haired surgeon's roommates had even given the less accident prone ones to Rocinante to accomplish.

Such as grocery shopping.

Neither Penguin nor Shachi himself could figure out how Rocinante had managed to screw that one up, but at the very least he got the groceries more or less intact back to the house.

Shachi smirked to himself at the memory of Rocinante fumbling a bag full of breakable jars and a carton of eggs. The blond had somehow managed to prevent it all from breaking when he took a tumble on the sidewalk. It really was amazing that the blond haired officer hadn't hurt himself more with how much of a klutz he was. Both Shachi and Penguin were still baffled after one of the times Rocinante had caught his black feathered jacket on fire and had come out of it not seriously burned.

The blond really was a walking accident waiting to happen. Rocinante fell over and set himself on fire as if it were as natural to him as breathing.

A disturbing thought, that.

The red head shook his head as he absently dumped his coat onto a piece of furniture with thoughts of moving it later. Because he was a man on a mission right now. Shachi had gone home after leaving work early, but not without making a quick stop at a store. Because while it was nice that Law had decided to finally ask Rocinante to live with him, the surgeon's roommates still had questions of their own. One of them being why Law hadn't asked sooner when it was clear to both roommates that he was head over heels for Rocinante.

Shachi presumed that it was because Law lacked social cues and appeared to be unaware of his own feelings for the most part. And with that being the case, the other question was a bit trickery to answer.

The fact that Law and Rocinante tended to spend long amounts of time with one another in their now shared bedroom. Shachi had teased that it was because they were having sex whereas Penguin was inclined to think that Law was more comfortable expressing affection for the blond when they were all alone. Otherwise Law tended to be his prickly self and would more often than not deny any and all affection around Rocinante but for brief times when he thought neither of his roommates or anyone else was around.

Penguin had mentioned it to the red head. That Law had appeared to be happy when he had curled up against a slumbering Rocinante the evening he had returned from the hospital.

Shachi supposed he did tend to tease Law quite a bit, so that probably made it more difficult for the surgeon to be openly affectionate. Although Law didn't seem to be that much for PDA to begin with, unless he was alone with the person he clearly cared about. The red head started to grin again. But he couldn't help but tease Law because he was happy for his friend. And Shachi was going to press that friendship again with something he had gotten from the store on the way home. Mostly because he had never seen Law buy anything of the sort, even though it was probably acceptable to think that Law would make Rocinante go because the blond was probably less self-conscious about such things.

Or maybe not.

Shachi wasn't sure, but he was going to find out.

The red head went up the stairs and over to Law's bedroom door and could clearly hear through the door that something was draining. Well, that was a bit awkward but Shachi wasn't going to turn back now, even if he might potentially be interrupting something. But Penguin wasn't around to stop him from doing his good natured teasing, so Shachi reached out and knocked on the door. He didn't have to wait long for an irked Law to answer the door.

The sight that greeted the red head nearly made him crack up immediately but settled for an amused grin instead. Because Shachi had never seen Law completely naked but for the one embarrassing time in the public pool that he'd been cornered by rabid hormonal teens. Penguin had managed to get them to leave with a few well-placed punches, but that had all but ended Law's desire to go to any public places without all of his clothing on. Shachi smirked at the look he was currently being given.

"Hey Law." Shachi said by way of greeting. He was so going to get shit for giving the dark haired surgeon lube but he didn't care because Law's expression would be so worth it.

-x-

"What is it, Shachi?" Law glowered at his friend in annoyance. He wondered why the red head looked like he was going to crack up until Rocinante came up from behind him and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"You forgot this." Rocinante managed to say with a straight face, his hands lingering as he situated the towel.

Law was horrified that he'd flashed the red head but Shachi just seemed to be amused for some reason. And that reason became clear as Shachi pressed something into Law's hands.

"Have fun." Shachi said with a grin and a wink as he closed the door.

Rocinante spluttered behind Law, since the comment had clearly been directed to him with the way Shachi had looked up.

Law reached out and locked the door as he glanced at what his friend had pressed into his hands. As soon as the item registered in his mind, the surgeon promptly hid it from the blond's view when Rocinante tried to peer over his shoulder at it.

"What is it?" Rocinante teased as he wrapped one arm around Law's waist, his other hand gently taking Law's in his own in an attempt to see what the dark haired surgeon held. "Can I see it?"

"No, it's too embarrassing." Law said, but trailed off as soon as Rocinante began to kiss him slowly and repeatedly between ear and jaw. It was even more distracting than the door being knocked on, and Law's grasp loosened a bit as he automatically turned his head to the side to give Rocinante a better angle. And then the bottle in his hand was gone and the dark haired surgeon was mortified about what Rocinante would think of what Shachi had handed him. When the blond said nothing for a long moment, Law turned slightly and caught sight of a faint blush across Rocinante's cheeks even if the blond also appeared to be a little bit amused.

"Your roommate gave you lube." Rocinante stated, as if he were telling the surgeon the time of day.

"Yes." Law breathed, not sure what else to say other than to confirm the obvious. The dark haired surgeon looked Rocinante over and decided then and there that it wasn't fair for the other man to look so nice in that towel. Wait. Why was he even thinking that? Law was supposed to be overly embarrassed and a bit indignant over the fact that Shachi had dared to give him lube of all things.

"Do your roommates think that we have been having sex?" Rocinante sounded more self-conscious than the surgeon had ever heard him.

"For about a year, yes." Law admitted quietly after a brief pause. "They won't listen to me when I say we haven't."

"Can we try what I mentioned before?" Rocinante dangled the bottle from his hand. "We don't have to do anything for long if it makes you uncomfortable." The blond flushed a bit more as he leaned over and pressed his face into Law's hair. "And it wouldn't be much. I don't have any condoms right now anyway."

Law had not even thought about the idea of using condoms, and he counted himself lucky that Rocinante was who he was. The surgeon had an uneasy feeling that Kidd would have foregone the condom in favor of getting what he wanted. Law shuddered at the thought and leaned back against Rocinante as he peeked up at him. And felt a stir of something inside of him as Rocinante looked back down at him through that shaggy blond hair.

"Law?" Rocinante asked curiously.

The dark haired surgeon walked over to the bed and after a moment sat down on it before he curled up into a ball. Being naked in front of Rocinante was still a foreign concept so he couldn't quite rid himself of the towel right now. But after a quick glance over his shoulder at the blond, Law could tell that the other man's expression had shifted a bit. It was also intent.

Very, very intent.

The bed shifted as Rocinante settled down on it and reached out with a hand to ruffle Law's hair lightly. "Do I take it that you are you done for the night?" When the surgeon didn't respond, Rocinante lay down, not quite touching the surgeon as he began to gently trace his fingertips along Law's skin. "You should let me know what you want to do."

Law let out a soft sigh at the blond's touch and relaxed a bit.

"Do you want to try another time?" Rocinante asked after a few minutes of quiet caressing.

Law turned over but kept the small distance between himself and Rocinante as he eyed the blond silently. And then he snuggled closer to press up against bare skin, even if he had done so hesitantly. Law slowly rested a hand over Rocinante's waist, heedful of the fact that if he got any closer he would find out whether the blond was still had an erection or not.

"Law?" Rocinante asked as he pecked the surgeon on the forehead.

"I'll try." Law said, barely audible as he rested his arm more heavily over the blond's waist. The dark haired surgeon knew that if he waited until a later time, he might lose his nerve and never try again. And Law sort of wanted to try something different, because he knew that Rocinante wanted to...touch him. And please him, Law supposed, even if he could tell that right in that moment he was not at all in the mood. But he didn't want to disappoint Rocinante, no matter what the other man said about waiting and all that.

Rocinante, of course, was quick to take notice of Law's less than enthused response. "I told you before that I wouldn't do anything if you weren't interested in it." The blond haired man gently remained the other. "I most certainly won't try right now if you aren't even in the mood."

"But you want to touch me, so you should." Law pointed out. He did want Rocinante to touch him; he just wasn't sure if he would react to that touch right this very moment. Even though Law knew that he had started to when they'd been in the Jacuzzi, but what with being interrupted and being reminded that they were both naked...

Rocinante kissed Law briefly before he settled an arm over his waist comfortably. "Just rest for now. You were up late last night reading books, weren't you?"

Try as Law might, the dark haired surgeon couldn't get Rocinante to touch him at all after that comment. The only thing Law got out of it was to be held in the other's embrace. The dark haired surgeon let out a puff of exasperated breath after Rocinante had fallen asleep, confused with the blond's actions.

Contrary to what Rocinante may have expected him to do, Law pulled another all-nighter reading as soon as he'd managed to free himself from Rocinante's slumbering embrace. Law wanted to have stayed there longer but knew he would have been lulled to sleep sooner or later at the sound of Rocinante's steady heartbeat and the warmth that he radiated when they were in close proximity.

With a deep breath and a faint flush creeping across his cheeks, Law went back onto the bed around seven in the morning. He had decided to wake Rocinante up in a manner that he'd tried before. Mainly because the surgeon wasn't sure what else he was supposed to do to indicate to Rocinante that he was willing to try something new.

Even if Law was embarrassed about it, or not in the mood, that didn't mean that he was necessarily opposed to it.


	45. Chapter 45

As much as Law wanted to try and show Rocinante that he was ready to try...something new, the dark haired surgeon found himself sidetracked by the sight of the blond's sleeping face. Law had sat up with the thought to go and pull the towel off from around Rocinante's waist, but instead, the surgeon settled for reaching out and trailing a hand lightly along the blond's jaw.

Rocinante murmured something in his sleep as he subconsciously turned into Law's touch as the surgeon traced his fingertips from jaw to cheek.

Just to amuse himself, Law poked Rocinante on the nose, partially because he was almost never awake while Rocinante was asleep. The other reason was because the surgeon had wanted to do that at least once without the blond haired officer realizing it. The poke had amusing results. It made Rocinante shift with a soft, confused mumble.

Law fidgeted. The blond haired man looked far too angelic as he lay there fast asleep. Angelic...Could Law use that as a term to describe Rocinante? Because that was what he looked like to the surgeon with that peaceful expression. Law couldn't bring himself to attempt to do anything physical to Rocinante while the other man slumbering. Law looked to one side, and then he slowly leaned over to kiss Rocinante. It was a little different to kiss him on the lips when he was unaware but it was still familiar. Something he'd become accustomed to.

And as soon as Law heard a soft sound emit from the blond, he couldn't help but start to kiss Rocinante on the neck and throat. Anywhere he could reach in that general area Law left kisses, his hands trailing down to Rocinante's side. It seemed that the more the dark haired surgeon kissed Rocinante, the harder it was to stop lest he be caught by the other man and the fact that he was giving out more affection than was usual.

"Law?" Rocinante asked a few minutes later, as soon as he managed to struggle out of slumber. But when the blond realized what was going on Rocinante clumsily tried to return the kisses but ended up merely kissing Law's forearm because the surgeon had just moved. The two stared at one another, before Rocinante smiled and took Law's hand in his own to kiss it. "Good morning." The blond's voice was still heavy with sleep but there was a twinge of genuine pleasure in it that made it clear that he approved of Law kissing him like he was.

The dark haired surgeon grudgingly allowed Rocinante to tug his hand to bring him in for a lazy, unhurried kiss. But as soon as it was over with another quick peck from Rocinante, Law tucked his face against the crook of the blond's neck. "You were sleeping so soundly I wasn't sure if you would notice."

Rocinante sleepily draped an arm over Law's back. "You were awake?" When Law didn't respond the blond became aware of the fact that the surgeon had started to fidget. It was answer enough. Rocinante let out a sigh. "You stayed up all night again? Law, you have to stop doing that. It isn't good for your health."

"I know that." Law said, a little defensively as he moved back away from the blond to stare down at him. He hated that Rocinante sounded concerned. Really, the surgeon knew that the other man had actually seen that he slept more, so one restless night wasn't that big of a deal. "But I couldn't sleep because you didn't touch me." Golden eyes narrowed at Rocinante as if daring the other man to argue against that.

Rocinante stared at Law, clearly perplexed.

The dark haired surgeon looked off to the side with an exhalation, aware that Rocinante had reached and taken hold one of his hands. "You said you wanted to touch me and you did while we were in the Jacuzzi, but when we got to the bed you didn't." Law decided to not mention Shachi's interruption which had thrown things off and allowed the surgeon to realize what was going on.

"I told you that I wouldn't do anything if you weren't in the mood. Or interested." Rocinante explained as he sat up. With one hand firmly around Law's he inched after the surgeon on the bed as Law scooted very indiscreetly across it. "Should I take that little display from before another way of you telling me that you want me to try and touch you again?"

"Well, I guess." Law said shortly in return, thrown off by the smile that crossed Rocinante's face. It was that intent look again. Like the blond was waiting for him to say or do something specific. "I...I just thought that you would want to do something..." Law let out a faint sound as Rocinante trapped him up against the headboard of the bed, and reached down with a free hand. Law shivered slightly as he rested his back against the headboard as Rocinante pointed out with a simple touch along Law’s dick that surgeon was most certainly aroused right then.

"If you were like this last night, I would have tried something." Rocinante said simply as he leaned over Law to look him in the eyes. "And when you're like this, you're at least a little in the mood, or your body is." Rocinante hesitated. "Do you want me to try what I was going to last night?"

"...yes." Law said in a small voice. He wasn't sure what he would have done about his erection at that point anyway without a lot of embarrassment on his part trying to figure out the quickest way to do it. Waiting for it to go away was out of the question at that point in time.

"Thank you." Rocinante leaned in and kissed Law lightly on the nose as he wrapped one arm around the surgeon's waist to pull him away from the headboard and up against his chest instead. "Your body may be showing me that you're in the mood, but..." Rocinante reached up and gently poked Law's forehead. "That doesn't mean that your mind is ready for it. So let me know if I need to slow down or stop altogether. Okay?"

Law nodded his understanding as Rocinante reached over for the lube from hours before and popped it open. The dark haired surgeon had wondered where it had gotten to but was soon distracted from even that simple thought. The blond's fingers made their way to their destination, and Law honestly hadn't expected the lube to be as cold as it was. But the surgeon was not going to tell Rocinante that he had tried another type of lube two weeks before. Law felt that might make the blond haired man nuzzle him to death for being so awkward about some things.

Coherent trains of thought vanished as soon as Law became aware of a finger and that was most certainly not at all the sensation that he had had when he'd attempted something on himself. The sensation of it all made Law wrap both of his arms around Rocinante's neck to cling to him as he breathed shakily against the side of the blond's throat. The surgeon pressed himself tightly against Rocinante as a second finger joined the first after some time had passed. Law made a thin whine through his nose as Rocinante moved his arm away from his lower back to wrap around his cock again and Law hadn't expected that. Not too long after those dual sensations had begun, the surgeon found that it was a bit too much for him to handle then and there and let Rocinante know as much.

"Cora...Stop." Law managed to breathe against the blond's skin. "Too much. Stop."

Rocinante immediately stopped what he was doing as he carefully retreated to give Law some space. The two lie on the bed like that for a few good minutes before Rocinante leaned over to give Law a feather light kiss.

Law enjoyed the clearly sweet gesture but it made him aware that his body was still painfully aroused at this point from all of the touching. "Cora. I'm..." Law didn't get to finish his words because with a little smile as if he knew exactly what the surgeon was going to say, Rocinante moved down along Law's body and-

Law dropped his head back against the sheets at the mouth that was suddenly somewhere it hadn't been in months. The dark haired surgeon fidgeted and writhed on the bed as Rocinante trailed one of his hands along his thigh. Damn, he'd not noticed that Rocinante had divested him of his towel. And Law had most certainly forgotten the way that Rocinante had made him feel the last time he'd gone down on him like this. And the surgeon dimly realized that he wasn't going to last long and tried to say so but it merely came out as an embarrassingly garbled moan.

Rocinante made some hum of acknowledgement before the blond's breathing started to become a bit uneven.

Law realized the reason for the change was that it was because Rocinante was likely touching himself because he had to have an erection by now as well. It made the surgeon wonder if it was really all that arousing to be giving someone a blow job. Maybe he couldn't wait for Law to return the favor and was saving time by taking care of himself at the same time? Law sucked in a breath and let it out shakily at a hard suck and then the way Rocinante had begun to lick and kiss before going back down on him. Although, considering the state Law figured he'd be in when Rocinante finished, maybe he wouldn’t be able to do anything for the blond in return. And then there was no keeping any concentration of any kind as Law suddenly couldn't focus on anything but what Rocinante was doing with that tongue of his.

And then time seemed to go agonizingly slow until finally, finally, Law had some relief and was able to sag back against the bed without moaning in an embarrassing way. When Rocinante had finished and gone back up alongside Law in order to cuddle and kiss, the blond wore an expression that indicated he was pleased.

“Cora?” Law flopped over against the blond and let out a sigh. "What are you smiling like that for?"

"Oh, nothing in particular, really." Rocinante nuzzled the side of the surgeon's head, clearly sated from before and not too motivated to do anything but lazily cuddle. "You're just very cute when you're like this."

"It seems that I will need another bath." Law deadpanned in return, unable to keep a blush off his face as Rocinante snuggled even closer. The dark haired man paused, before he added in a hesitant voice. "And you will as well." Do you want to join me was left unsaid, but the blond knew all the same.

“We can clean up in a bit but for right now I don’t want to go anywhere.” Rocinante laughed softly and hugged the dark haired surgeon. "Love you."

Law pressed himself closer, a little less conscious of the fact that they were both naked, solely because Rocinante sounded so happy in that moment.

-x-

Law woke early in the afternoon feeling sleepy and content. It wasn't a feeling that he often had, and he found that it was a more pleasant way to wake up then from, say, a nightmare. The dark haired surgeon had realized that he had been having less of those nights since Rocinante had begun to sleep over at his house, and especially since the blond had begun to live with him in his house. With a yawn, Law turned over and snuggled closer to the heat source next to him. In his half asleep mind he knew that it was Rocinante, but since it was, Law didn't give it any more heed than that.

"Good afternoon, Law." Rocinante's voice was warm and happy, just like it always seemed to be these past few weeks.

Law merely mumbled something unintelligibly and pressed closer. Perhaps he'd sleep a bit longer and-

The dark haired surgeon gasped as his mind latched onto what he'd done the past few days, and especially that very morning. Or rather, tried to. Law felt that he was being a lot more forward in his and Rocinante's…relationship, then he'd ever thought he'd be since he started 'going out' with the blond haired officer. With his face steadily turning red, Law pressed his face against the crook of Rocinante's bare neck.

Rocinante let out a happy laugh as he hugged Law. "Are you always going to be so embarrassed?" At the sound of a stutter, the blond hugged the surgeon securely lest he try to slip away. "I don't mind it, but it seems that it makes you anxious." Rocinante nuzzled his head against Law's, one arm shifting slightly to rest against the surgeon's chest. "Your heart is racing. I thought that's only supposed to happen early on in a relationship?" Rocinante placed a kiss on the other's cheek. "It makes me happy that I can still cause such a reaction in you after being together for over two years."

Law stuttered again and was further mortified that he couldn't get a response out as Rocinante snuggled closer and closer to him. And then the kisses started and the dark haired surgeon was partially distracted by a few well-placed ones before he finally let out a short, breathless laugh and shooed Rocinante away.

Rocinante merely smiled brightly and imitated what the surgeon normally did to him by ducking his head beneath Law's jaw and brushing a kiss against his throat. "Hm, or maybe it is because I just haven't been cuddling enough with you these past few weeks?"

"Co…Cora. Isn't it time for breakfast? Or lunch?" Law finally found his voice but it wasn't exactly what he wanted to say. The dark haired surgeon leaned his head back against the pillow as Rocinante responded to his words by placing a few more kisses along his collarbone. Law squirmed when he heard the blond's voice, which was full of mirth.

"Oh? Now you're remembering that you need to eat?" One of the blond's arms snuck down along the surgeon's side so the blond could trail his fingertips along Law's bare stomach.

"You were telling me that I should be better about trying to remember to eat." Law responded, even if he was acutely aware of the fact that he was naked. The towel had fallen off the bed at some point earlier that morning after Rocinante had removed it.

"Hm, I do recall asking that of you." Rocinante shifted a little so that he could sneakily place a kiss between ear and jaw that made the dark haired surgeon sag further into the bed. "But right now you're just attempting to avoid the question."

"I am not." Law denied. "I was merely pointing out that we should join my roommates before they come looking for us. They have it in their heads that they need to remind me to eat as well."

"We do want you to take care of yourself." Rocinante said, before he smiled down at the surgeon in amusement. "But would you have been less embarrassed about what we did this morning if I had continued to cuddle with you on and off?" Rocinante slid closer. "Kissed you back more often during those make outs?" The blond rested a hand none too subtly over Law's waist. "To ask you if you wanted me to touch you elsewhere?" The blond's fingers traced Law's waist. "Somewhere that I can touch you only when it's just the two of us?"

Law was wordless as he slid away and off the bed to find clothing. But his face clearly held Rocinante's answer. Yes, yes he did want more of that but he was damned if he was going to actually admit it aloud. Law chanced a glance back at the bed and froze at the sight of Rocinante as the blond stretched out comfortably on their bed. And that was when Law saw it.

Rocinante had no clothes on. Of course he didn't. Because the towel he had had obviously been taken off to allow for-

The dark haired surgeon turned abruptly and left the room. He only came back after he'd assisted in the preparations for breakfast before he went into his bedroom with a cup of coffee. Luckily Rocinante happened to be in the bathroom when he got back. Law figured he would use it after he'd eaten something. Law let out a slow sigh and took a sip of his coffee as he sat down at his desk and sifted through some papers. The surgeon felt that he would be able to go back to work soon, so he should have everything in order to be ready for when that happened.

The water that had been running in the bathroom stopped, but Law remained focused on the task at hand. At least until the bathroom door opened. Then surgeon was distracted from the task at hand as arms wrapped around him. Rocinante had leaned over in order to give him a hug. Law shook his head slightly as a few droplets of water got on his face and grumbled something as he freed himself and turned around. Law came face to face with the sight of Rocinante smiling at him through shaggy blond hair that was wet and dripping into his face.

Law stared. And then stared some more. And then did what his mind prompted him to do because it just seemed like he should do it then. The dark haired surgeon reached out and gripped that wet blond hair in order to pull Rocinante over into a kiss.

The blond haired man murmured happily into it once he got over the initial shock of receiving a kiss out of the blue.

Law broke the kiss first as he turned away and sipped his coffee as if he hadn't just done something that was still a bit hard for him to initiate. Law tried to get focused on the papers again when he heard Rocinante fall over. When Law heard him get back up, the dark haired surgeon resumed perusing the papers. "I think that perhaps we should wrap you up in bubble wrap. You're so accident prone, it might help." Law heard a choking sound that he recognized as startled laughter. A minute later there was another fall from Rocinante as the man stumbled out the bedroom door. The surgeon gave up on trying to concentrate when Shachi's cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts minutes later.

"Law! Your boyfriend caught himself on fire again!"

Law thunked his head against the desk with a groan. While he was grateful that Rocinante's injuries hadn't resulted in anything more lasting than scars, he had hoped the other man would try to be more careful. But when dark haired surgeon went to the kitchen minutes later and caught sight of a smoldering, abashed Rocinante, Law couldn't help but shake his head in fond exasperation. He loved this clumsy man to the point that it was too much of an effort to try and communicate that to Rocinante without making a fool of himself. But Law felt that he had when he discreetly pecked the blond on the cheek as he passed by to get more coffee.

The dazzling smile Law received from the open display of affection caused the dark haired surgeon to make an attempt at cleaning, only to be foiled in his efforts by his amused roommates.


	46. Chapter 46

Rocinante was at the mall late one busy afternoon after he'd finished his shift at the police station.

Things had been rather low key considering all of the protests that had been going on the week before over the trial of the doctor that had been accused of malpractice. The trial was ongoing as there was a lot of evidence and witnesses to get through, including the doctor himself. The blond hired officer had decided to go and make an impulse buy from the last time he'd been to the mall with Law. He'd seen something catch the surgeon's eyes briefly and after Rocinante had doubled back to look the item over, the blond had decided that he would get it while Law wasn't around.

Because Law discouraged him from trying to buy him presents, as if the surgeon were mortified that Rocinante would do so on days other than his birthday or other holidays.

So of course Rocinante would do just that because he knew that no matter how much Law protested, the dark haired man really did appreciate those small gifts here and there. And besides, Rocinante had a perfectly good reason to make the purchase that day.

Law had officially gotten back to work a month ago and it was the right time of the year for the purchase.

Rocinante was truly happy for Law when he could return to work. The blond haired officer had been able to tell that Law had been displeased to be off of work for so long to recover from his poisoning. But Rocinante hoped that at the very least Law had enjoyed his company while he'd been out of work. Because all too soon both of them were back into their busy schedules. While Rocinante loved being able to fall asleep next to Law, there was less time to spend together outside of eating together and the occasional few hours now and then when there was down time.

But on those rare occasions that they had a day off together, Rocinante had begun to insist more and more that they go out on an outing with one another. Rocinante had cleverly avoided calling it a date to make Law less awkward about it. Although it probably helped that the first day they had off together Rocinante had managed to procure some tickets to an orchestral concert. And Rocinante knew that Law had enjoyed it more than he'd let on. The blond haired man had been thrilled that he'd been able to hold Law's hand instead of just idly tracing a hand over the surgeon's hand as he had the first time they'd gone to a concert. Before they'd actually started to date one another.

Rocinante had a bit of a spring in his step this particular day, because he had just emerged from a rather pricy clothing store with something that he had a feeling Law would really like.

It was winter again and the blond knew that Law was not exactly all that great about being prepared for the weather. And as much as Rocinante loved that Law walked so closely next to him to leech the warmth from him, Rocinante worried about Law getting a cold when he was not around to provide that warmth. Rocinante received a text message just then. He'd expected it, and went to answer it when he tripped. Rocinante had been distracted and didn't have the time to get out of the way of a child who'd run off ahead of her parents.

The result was that the blond's clumsiness got the best of him for the third time that day.

Rocinante tumbled over with a grunt, and just as he righted himself near the startled child, the mother reached them.

"I'm sorry, officer. Are you all right?"

Oh, that's right. He was still in uniform. The blond hadn't gone back to Law's house…rather, their house. Their home…to change. Rocinante had just wanted to make a stop at the mall to get the coat he'd seen the week before. The blond offered an apologetic smile. "It's all right. I wasn't paying attention."

“I see.” The woman gathered her child up in her arms and smiled. "You have someone special you're thinking about?"

Rocinante wasn't expecting that and he was sure he stumbled over his words. In fact, he couldn't even speak.

The woman laughed as her husband reached her. She offered the child to her father, who awkwardly fumbled with his hands to make sure…gloves, were on them before taking the child carefully from her.

"You're not going to get her dirty, dear."

"But Scarlet, I can't…."

"You're fine. Besides, look at how happy Rebecca is." The woman, Scarlet, smiled and shook her head fondly at her husband before she turned back to Rocinante. "I'm sorry, you just looked very happy about something."

Rocinante hugged the bag with the coat in it to his chest. "Is it that obvious?"

Scarlet merely smiled at him. "I hope they like what you've gotten them." With that, Scarlet turned and herded her husband, who was now tearing up over their giggling daughter, off into a children's store.

Rocinante smiled at the sight before he remembered he was supposed to answer his phone.

_Are you done getting whatever you needed at the mall?_

_Yes._ Rocinante smiled brightly when Law's next response came.

_I saw you smile just now. What did that woman say to you?_

_That I looked like I was thinking about someone special._ Rocinante embellished the conversation and smiled at the thought of the surgeon being there at the mall. And what expression that text would give the surgeon. _You're here?_

_Yes. I'm walking toward you._

It was funny how Rocinante just felt that he had caused Law to blush as he'd admitted to thinking about him. Not that that should be a surprise, since Law was on his mind a lot when he wasn't too busy with work. Rocinante put his phone away and hastily scanned the whole area over before he spotted Law walking toward him with a slightly suspicious look. The blond supposed that it was because of the bag he held in his arms.

"You didn't get me something, did you?" Law said awkwardly, as if the mere idea was a foreign concept. He still seemed to be slightly uncertain about the amount of gifts that Rocinante would give to him, although he likely knew that it was because he still refused to let any of his roommates or even Rocinante himself pay toward the rent of the house.

Rocinante smiled. He was going to get to see Law's reaction sooner than he thought. And what would amuse Rocinante the most would be Law's bafflement over the fact that the coat would fit him exactly. Because Rocinante, along with Shachi and Penguin, had gleefully measured Law one night when the surgeon had passed out on the couch after a brief cleaning spree that none of them could talk him out of. Rocinante offered the bag so Law could reach inside and take the article of clothing out. Rocinante knew that he'd guessed right when Law got a proper look at the winter coat, with its simple and sleek black design, furred and nearly floor length when worn. Rocinante saw those golden eyes light up as the surgeon made a hum of approval and tried the coat on. The blond was inwardly pleased that it fit so nicely. And found Law very attractive in it.

Law found the zipper to be bemusing as it zipped from the bottom up and to the side of his neck. The dark haired man offered an amused smirk. "Is this so it will be more difficult to take off?"

"It's so you won't freeze when I'm not around for you to take my body heat from me." Rocinante countered, even if he did blush at Law's words.

Law smoothed the material over before he glanced around. Once he'd deemed there to not be very many people around, the surgeon quickly leaned up and pecked Rocinante on the cheek. A barely audible 'thank you' was heard soon after.

With that, Rocinante took it as a cue to leave the mall and go back home. As the two walked away and Rocinante discreetly slipped his hand into Law's nearest, he saw something out of the corner of his eyes. Rocinante exchanged a nod with Scarlet as she and her husband exited the children's store. The blond haired officer was in a good mood the entire way home, which confused Law a little but not for long after he was kissed in their home in the entryway.

-x-

Rocinante was highly amused, as were Penguin and Shachi, when Law wore the black coat nearly every day. And even days when he did not go out of his house. Law had even added a few golden designs here and there on the coat to tailor it to his liking, and Rocinante was beside himself when he saw a similar smiley face to the one that Law had as a part of his tattoo on his chest. It had resulted in a breathless hug and a very short make out session that was only interrupted because Penguin had looked into the living room to ask where the laundry soap was.

But even with his new coat, it did not prevent Law from taking advantage of the warmth Rocinante and his black feathered jacket provided if they went on a walk in the beginning of the wintery season.


	47. Chapter 47

Rocinante was mortified not by something he had said but by something he felt he had done.

The blond had believed it to be entirely innocent to compliment Law about how nice he looked in the winter coat that he'd bought him. Quite a few times, actually. The resulting awkwardness from the surgeon over the compliments made the blond very pleased. Mainly because Rocinante was normally allowed to give hugs and kisses to surgeon after he said something. The blond figured that it was Law's way of accepting the compliment but not actually saying anything aloud.

Rocinante also had brief bouts of jealousy over the coat when Law wore it in public, even if that was the whole point of the blond getting the coat so that Law wouldn't freeze when he wasn't around. Rocinante just hadn't given thought to how other people would react to the dark haired surgeon and his coat. The jealousy had been a bit more obvious when Law had come in for lunch the previous day with a faint scowl on his face. It made Rocinante wonder if Kidd had tried to show his appreciation in some away because of the suspicious sound of cursing that soon started from the back alley of the tiny restaurant.

But that wasn't what the problem was right now.

It really wasn't, since he knew that Law wasn't going to leave him for Kidd. Or anyone else, for that matter. The surgeon had made it clear that that would never happen via the tattoos he had gotten inked onto his chest. Rocinante still felt elated whenever Law would expose the tattoos. It not only gave him a nice view but it also showed that Law felt devoted enough to Rocinante to have gotten it etched into his skin in the first place.

Rocinante hastily made his way through the snow filled park that he and Law frequented, and settled on a bench with a faint grunt. Of course he would find the only patch of ice. But that didn't matter because he had had to get out of the house as quickly as he could. A little falling over was nothing compared to what could have potentially occurred back at the house had he remained there. Rocinante shivered slightly because he'd forgotten his jacket but in his mind the blond felt that he may deserve to be cold for a time. Especially as Rocinante mused over what had happened just minutes ago in the house.

Law had slapped him.

_Slapped_ him.

Rocinante had a hard time fathoming the action being used against him because Law had only ever slapped his hand away once in a forceful way. The time that Law had broken up with him. Rocinante would have wondered what he had done to elicit such a response, but the blond was fairly certain that he knew the reason and hated himself for not preventing it.

The day had been going just fine, and he and Law were enjoying one another's company and a movie in the theater room. The dark haired surgeon had been wearing his winter coat at the time as he seemed apt to be doing lately because he really liked it. And Rocinante really, really loved to see him in it. Rocinante may have initiated a make out session on the couch in the room, and at the time Law had seemed amendable to the idea. But as soon as Rocinante unzipped Law's jacket a bit to reach his collar bone to mouth it, he also slid a hand up underneath the coat to touch the skin beneath. And he may have palmed the surgeon's crotch just to see if he was interested in actually taking off the clothing.

And that was when Law had reacted and slapped him.

Rocinante honestly wasn't sure what to make of the conflicted expression on the other man's face or the weirdly guilty look immediately after. But by then Rocinante had already withdrawn from Law entirely. The blond haired officer had left the house soon after, and he had heard what might have been protest from the dark haired surgeon. Thinking back on it now, it may have been a bit of an extreme reaction to have left the house entirely but Rocinante couldn't look the other man in the face right now.

Because the blond didn't want Law to be mad at him. Which Rocinante assumed he was just from the slap he'd received. So Rocinante found himself out in the snow and getting colder by the minute but at the same time the blond haired officer didn't feel it because he was worrying over what had happened. The place that Law had slapped him still stung, and Rocinante sniffed as he tentatively brushed his fingertips over it. He wasn't going to cry. That would be childish. He had clearly done something wrong. Perhaps Law had told him to stop and he hadn't heard him. Maybe that was the reason for the slap. Rocinante really hoped that he hadn't done something that Law didn't like and fretted over the idea that he hadn't heard the surgeon like the first time that Law told him to stop some months ago. The slap had been shocking enough; the blond would feel even worse if Law had spoken right before the strike. Rocinante felt he would actually cry should it happen again, regardless of whether he would come off as childish or not.

"There you are. What do you think you're doing?"

Law's voice cut through Rocinante's thoughts immediately but the blond didn't look at Law. The blond still feared that the other man might lash out at him again for something he wasn't entirely sure of what he'd done. Rocinante hadn't thought he'd been going too fast with initiating the kissing and touching. Thy most certainly had gone farther than that before, so he'd assumed that it would-

"Cora, you're not even wearing any of your winter clothing." Law's voice was completely exasperated. "You're going to get frostbite if you stay out here. Come back home."

A tiny bit of Rocinante was thrilled to hear Law say that last part but the rest of him was still conflicted. Rocinante even flinched when something was wrestled on over his head until realized that it was the red heart tasseled hood. A scarf followed soon after, and Rocinante couldn't help but lift a hand to lightly trace Law's hand that was there as it placed the scarf.

"I…" Law broke off, and then came around the front of the bench.

Rocinante stared up at Law in confusion from where he was seated. The surgeon almost looked guilty about something. But…Rocinante thought that he'd done something wrong. So why did Law have such an expression?

"I shouldn't have…done that." Law said, clearly uncomfortable over the fact that he'd slapped Rocinante. The surgeon reached out to trace the faint mark, and frowned when blond winced a little. "It's just that…the last time I bumped into Eustass, he tried to do something very similar and I..." Law moved closer and leaned over a little so that he could hug Rocinante's head to his chest. "I'm…sorry. It happened yesterday afternoon..." "He touched you down there?" The blond growled at the very idea of Kidd touching Law anywhere. "I ought to arrest him."

"Don't bother. He's an idiot. Eustass will figure it out eventually that I'm not interested in him." Law said in reply as he drew back and reached out to tug one of the tassels of Rocinante's hood. "I should have let you know what happened. I didn't realize that I would still have a similar reflex as yesterday." Law's fingertips brushed the place he'd slapped the blond. "I did not mean to hit you as I did."

Rocinante's heart wasn't as heavy with dread as it had been before and in place of it there was indignation on Law's behalf. "I wondered if he might have tried something when you met me for lunch...but..." Rocinante briefly met Law's eyes before dropping his gaze. "I also thought that you look very nice in that coat and I, well, thought you wouldn't mind if we…"

"Normally I wouldn't have minded, since you're not Eustass, but there was another reason I didn't want you to do too much today." It was Law's turn to look rather embarrassed. "It was my fault for not remembering to let you know of that either." "What do you mean?" Rocinante gave Law a perplexed look as he shook off the last of the nervousness to give the surgeon his full attention.

The dark haired surgeon flushed as he shook his head. "I'd rather say when we're in our room and not outside." Law hesitated a moment before he offered a hand. "Besides, you have to be cold by now. Let's go home."

Rocinante didn't press Law for more information and instead accepted the surgeon's hand and stood. On the way back to the house he only fell over once and it made Law smile at him as if he couldn't believe that the blond could trip over snow.

-x-

Law felt terrible for having slapped Rocinante but what he had said had been true. Kidd had tried something along similar lines and Law had automatically reacted. At least he hadn't slugged the blond haired officer as he had Kidd. It didn't mean that Rocinante should have forgiven him so easily for the strike. Law knew he would have held a bit of a grudge even if it had been unintentional, but Rocinante... Rocinante was such a sweetheart that as soon as he'd understood the reason the surgeon had lashed out, he'd appeared to forgive him immediately. Law really didn't think he deserved to have Rocinante in his life. But as soon as they were back in the house and in their bedroom with the door closed, Law began to feel a bit more self-conscious now that he was going to show Rocinante why he'd have stopped their earlier activities in the theater room anyway.

"Law?" Rocinante asked softly as he settled on the bed at the surgeon's insistence.

"I like this coat as well, and it's very warm, and I wasn't planning on leaving the house, so I…" Law looked away briefly, as he had a feeling what Rocinante's reaction would be. But he went through with it anyway because he felt lingering guilt over slapping Rocinante when he'd really done nothing wrong. Or anything that Law wouldn’t have wanted him to do. Rocinante had seemed as if he were going to shower him with affection if the kisses they had been sharing earlier were any indication at all. Law knew for certain that Rocinante liked what he saw because as he unzipped the coat and began to take it off, the surgeon chanced a peek at the blond and saw the steadily darkening blush across his cheeks. The surgeon removed his coat the rest of the way and set it aside. It was more mortifying than he initially thought it would be.

"Law?" Rocinante questioned in a faint voice, like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Yes?" Law asked, his voice more embarrassed now that he'd revealed the obvious.

"You're only wearing briefs." Rocinante made it sound more scandalous than it actually was, but Law restrained himself from pointing out that Rocinante would occasionally laze in their bed in pants, boxers or just plain naked. Depending on Law's mood, since the blond apparently took that into account.

"It is a very warm coat when I wear it indoors." Law admitted quietly. The dark haired surgeon was most certainly more embarrassed than he had thought he would be. But the feeling vanished as soon as he joined Rocinante on the bed and the blond gave him a feather light kiss on the nose. It made Law a little less guilty about slapping someone who had done nothing to deserve it.

And Rocinante seemed happy enough with the way he was now exploring Law's tattoos with inquisitive fingers and light kisses. It was very nice and very, very distracting, and the blond might have been able to convince him to take his briefs off. Mainly because Rocinante had started to profess his love for him and Law was horrified that he was getting turned on by all the light caresses and the surgeon might have demanded that the blond do something about it when there was a knock on the door.

"Law? Do you mind coming out? Shachi and I had some questions about the appliances."

"I'll be out shortly." Law managed to say as Rocinante, who'd paused briefly in his ministrations, resumed his exploration of the tanned skin.

"Cora." Law all but hissed when the blond began to nuzzle the inside of his thigh. Rocinante let out what sounded like a disappointed sigh but made his way back up Law's stomach, chest and finally to his lips where he made sure to give Law a breath defying kiss that nearly made the surgeon dazed. Rocinante smiled down at Law cheerfully. "We should see what appliances need replacing."

"The microwave needs replacing because you somehow managed to melt it?" Law informed the blond haired officer distractedly.

"It was an accident and I was all alone and hungry." Rocinante defended as he reached over to the dresser, found some clothes, and dropped them on the surgeon’s lap. "And we shouldn't keep your roommates waiting, right?"

Law grunted something and used the clothing to hide the fact that he was blushing at the way he'd reacted to the blond haired man's touch. But later on, after the appliances had been settled, Rocinante made up for the interruption later that night by pressing himself flush against Law. As if he were doing everything in his power to sleep as close as was physically possible to the surgeon, even if that was all they were doing that night.

Law slept perhaps an hour that night because of just how close and very clearly happy Rocinante was to be there. Law wondered if he really merited such reactions and posed the question to the blond the very next morning before Rocinante had the time to wake up properly.

Rocinante's response had been to give the dark haired surgeon a very thorough kiss and a great big happy smile before he proceeded to cuddle an embarrassed Law for nearly two hours.


	48. Chapter 48

Rocinante had been deliriously happy for the whole previous day after he'd cuddled with Law. With a yawn, the blond haired officer wondered if that was the reason why he was now more or less fully awake.

At five in the morning.

But the blond haired man wasn't inclined to do anything other than laze in bed, because he could tell that Law was still in the room and hadn't wandered off. Rocinante could hear the surgeon's breaths and was nearly lulled back to sleep from the sound when he heard the other man shift. And then there were hands in Rocinante's hair as it was smoothed back.

Rocinante didn't make any outward movements, curious as to what Law was up to.

"Cora?"

Rocinante said nothing, lest he ruin whatever the surgeon had in mind. Law's hands resumed carding their way through his hair moments later. The soothing gesture made repeatedly eventually caused Rocinante to let out a soft sigh. It felt very nice, and the surgeon was being ever so gentle with his hands, as if worried he were going to wake him up.

Which the blond haired officer already was but Rocinante feigned slumber in order to enjoy the sweet gesture that Law was making without any prompting at all.

Law's motions grew stronger until the dark haired man was all but tousling Rocinante's shaggy blond hair.

The blond haired man really, really wanted to see the surgeon's expression, because in Rocinante's mind, Law had that faint, genuine smile on his lips. Rocinante couldn't help but let out a quiet mumble as he leaned in to Law's touch. And then there was no use keeping quiet when Law's fingertips began to slowly trail along his cheeks with every caress through the blond hair that the surgeon made with his hands.

Rocinante let out a soft moan when Law brushed up against him. It was a bit much to pretend that he was asleep, and as soon as he'd moaned, Law had let go of him. Rocinante worried that he might have angered Law by pretending to feign slumber. The blond haired man soon couldn't stand the silence so he opened his eyes and blinked. Rocinante tensed up as soon as he saw that Law now stared down at him with a curious look on his face. And then the surgeon offered a faint smirk.

"Good morning, Cora."

Rocinante made some mumbled greeting in return, but speech was gone from his mind as Law returned to what he was doing with a smile that made the blond happy. The dark haired surgeon appeared to be in a good mood as well. "Hmm…is there any particular reason that you're playing with my hair?" Not that Rocinante really needed one when he actually loved that Law would make the gesture in the first place. "I was curious about something." Law said simply in return, his golden eyes fixed on what he was doing.

"Curious about what?" Rocinante asked after he took another moment to enjoy the sensation of hands ruffling his hair.

"I wanted to see if you would moan again or if that was just your body responding automatically." Law stated bluntly. "Because I've tried this before and you only ever leaned in to my touch. Or sighed."

“You’ve done this before?” Rocinante became flustered at Law's admission before he hastily reached up and held the surgeon's hands in place. "It was probably because you were touching me."

"But I tried ruffling my hair and nothing happened." Law persisted. "So it can't just be from the motion of hands going through someone's hair."

"That's because I wasn't the one ruffling it for you." Rocinante said, and with a mischievous smile, freed his hair from Law's grasp. The blond then proceeded to ruffle the surgeon's hair in a gentle but firm caress. "See?" Rocinante said with a smile when he caught sight of the slightly dazed expression on the other's face. "It looks like it needs to be me for it to work on you." While Law was distracted, Rocinante smiled a bit more as he tipped the surgeon over backward without warning. Rocinante carefully settled over Law and poked the surgeon's nose with a forefinger, all smiles. "You're very cute right now." Rocinante stated as he leaned over and kissed Law before the surgeon could even begin to deny the statement. And then neither of them cared to argue about anything as they both melted into the kiss. By the time the kiss ended, both were breathless. Rocinante was very happy as he pecked Law on the cheek before he got up off the bed in search of his uniform. "I'll be home for dinner tonight. Do you want to eat here or go out?"

"Out. There's a new restaurant I wanted to go to." Law said after a moment's thought. Golden eyes followed Rocinante's every movement, but the surgeon did nothing to stop the other from leaving, because he needed to get to work.

"I'll see you later then." Rocinante offered another smile in the surgeon's general direction before he headed for the door. It was only when Rocinante was out the door that Law realized that he had been duped.

"Cora! It's only five thirty in the morning!" Law opened the window and called after the retreating blond. "Where are you going so early?"

"Six o'clock! I'll meet you at six tonight! Text me the address of the restaurant later!" Rocinante called over his shoulder, before he promptly tripped and fell over. The blond accidentally took down the paper boy who'd been walking by. When the blond haired officer righted himself and the person he'd knocked over, Rocinante called up to Law with a bright smile visible even from the streets. "I love you!"

Law abruptly shut his window while a faint blush rose on his cheeks.

-x-

Ten and a half hours later and Rocinante found himself in immediate trouble. For once, it wasn't caused via his clumsiness. It was because one of the fools that he and one of his on again, off again partners from the police force had just encountered had been ready for them.

Neither officer had expected for a crude bomb to be set off in return for being cornered.

And since the building had been rickety and decrepit to begin with, it didn't take much to make it begin to collapse with Rocinante and his partner still inside of it.

-x-

It had happened too fast.

The only thing that Rocinante could do was go with his gut reaction. He'd taken his partner, Bellemere, and had all but thrown her out the nearest broken window as soon as the floor began to crumble beneath them from the blast. Rocinante was reassured by the police woman's scolding and felt that he might have made it out as well. Could have made it, had he not been unluckily struck by a piece of rubble from overhead. It threw off Rocinante's sense of balance more than it already was. In this case, it might have been a good thing, because he'd fallen backward and up against the wall of the building as the floors above him gave way and collapsed. Rocinante tried to press himself away from the falling debris, but another piece, a large one, half fell on top of him, and that was it for any escape attempts.

As soon as it had started, it was over with, and Rocinante couldn't see anything around him but for vague outlines of the debris that had once been the building. From the feel of it, he'd mostly managed to avoid being crushed by the weight of it all, and instead of concern for his own safety, there was only concern for not being able to let Law know he likely wouldn't be meeting him for dinner.

"Rocinante!"

Rocinante heard Bellemere's voice as if from far away, and heard her as she was shifted through the rubble. But the blond doubted that she would be able to hear his weak rasping, let alone any response from him. A piece of rubble that pinned Rocinante that pressed down uncomfortably against one side of his back prevented him from speaking. The piece of rubble drove his upper body into the ground and compressed his rib cage. He was lucky that it hadn't outright crushed him, and figured it must be resting on something above him for it not to settle all its weight. But it made it difficult to breathe, and the dust that was still hazy around him didn't help his breathing in the least bit. Rocinante took a wheeze of the stifling air around him, but couldn't get any sound to come out but for a raspy breath.

There was a curse, and then Bellemere's voice was suddenly closer.

"You had better not be dead, you idiot." There was the sound of shifting rubble overhead. "What were you thinking?"

Rocinante hadn't had the time to think, actually. Only act. The blond haired officer would have liked to point out that it could just have easily been both of them crushed beneath the debris. But Rocinante figured he'd lose the argument either way. He barely reacted when a hand suddenly wrapped itself around his right hand and tugged.

"Is that you?"

Since it sounded like Bellemere might crush his hand if it was a criminal instead, Rocinante twitched his hand and made a thin rasping sound.

"Since when did you get to be so reckless?" There was an exasperated sigh. "I called ahead for help already, so don't die on me. It would be very inconvenient if I couldn't get you back for throwing me out of that window."

Rocinante felt slightly better that Bellemere didn't leave him, although she had to let go of his hand to allow the other people who'd come to assist in removing the rubble. Rocinante didn't even flinch when, once he was out, Bellemere swatted him over the head and gave him a look as if to say she weren't finished with him, so Rocinante offered an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry. Figured you'd...have better luck landing without...hurting yourself." It would have just been the blond haired officer's luck if he'd gotten out he'd have been likely to only injure himself anyway.

Bellemere became less irritable after that, even if she voiced aloud that Rocinante should have been thinking of his own safety too.

Rocinante was touched that his fellow officer rode in the ambulance with him, but at the same time he recalled that Law was likely to learn of this and wasn't sure what he was going to say. The blond haired officer hated to think what expression the surgeon would have if he learned that a building had literally collapsed on top of him.

"You have someone who'll take you home later?" Bellemere cut in as she lit a cigarette despite the EMT's protests. "Because I need to go back and assist with the scene in case those criminals got out."

"Probably…at the hospital already." Rocinante managed to say. He had no doubt that Law would be there as soon as he even had an inkling to what occurred. He gave the cigarette that the police woman had a mournful look, even if he felt it would be a bad idea to ask for one. What with having trouble breathing and all that.

“So. Rocinante…” Bellemere rested her chin on her hand as she smoked away and offered a faint smile. "Does this mean that I am finally going to meet the person you're going out with?"

"B…Bellemere…" Rocinante stuttered, but there was no use denying it since Law was going to more than likely be there. Perhaps the surgeon would even be there as he waited for the blond to get out of the ambulance.

Bellemere smoked her cigarette for a moment before she spoke again. "I'm looking forward to meeting the person that's put you into such a good mood."

Rocinante buried his face against his hands lest the policewoman catch sight of his blush. And knew that it was a useless gesture when a hand suddenly patted him on the shoulder. "We're almost there."

Rocinante would have liked to ask Bellemere to not sound so gleeful about the possibility of embarrassing him some more, but when the ambulance doors opened, the blond haired officer’s breath caught at what he saw.

In addition to Chopper, Law stood there with a wild, desperate look in his eyes. And as soon as the surgeon ascertained that Rocinante was standing under his own power, visible relief spread through Law. The man probably wasn't even aware of it as those golden eyes remained locked onto Rocinante. The blond very much liked to think that Law would have immediately gone up to him and pressed himself up against him had there not been an audience.

And kissed him.

Probably out of relief before the surgeon's mind could catch up with his actions.

And as much as Rocinante would have loved that, it may have been for the best that they weren't alone. Because Rocinante's breathing wasn't exactly as stable as it should have been. Considering what he'd been through, it could have been worse.

-x-

Rocinante had lucked out. His stint beneath the debris of the collapsed building had resulted in no long lasting damage. The worst of the blond haired man's injuries had been some bruises and scratches, and a sprained ankle which he was to keep off for a few days. Rocinante had been relieved about this because he was concerned that Law's nerves were frayed enough as it was. He wasn't sure what the surgeon's response would have been had he been hurt more than he had been. He'd smiled when the surgeon had finally cornered him in the hospital room alone to give him a kiss, and of course that was when Bellemere had decided to check in with Rocinante.

"So this is the one?" The police woman asked as she looked Law up and down with a critical eye. "I kind of figured that he was the one by the way he'd been looking at you in the ambulance earlier."

Law withstood the scrutiny, and even seemed to stand a little straighter as he returned Bellemere's look with a level gaze. The surgeon was apparently going to pretend that he hadn't just kissed the blond haired officer.

Rocinante was amused with the silent proceeding before he realized that Bellemere had turned her attention on him.

"He seems fine. Doesn't seem like a trouble maker like your brother is." Bellemere lit a cigarette before she raised a hand in farewell as she headed for the door. "I'll let Sengoku know what we learned." With a smile, the policewoman went out the door. "I'll see you back at the station in a few days, Rocinante."

Rocinante grimaced at the tone. He was sure that he was going to get shit from Bellemere for a time. The blond haired man still didn't regret hefting her through the window at the thought of her adopted daughters possibly losing their mother via being crushed by debris. Rocinante hadn't even given thought to himself when it had happened. He'd just acted with his own safety as an afterthought.

Law went to being highly embarrassed as soon as Bellemere had left the room.

Rocinante happily consoled the surgeon by giving him a hug. And then wheezed a laugh when Law parted from him hastily as a nurse came into the room.

-x-

After careful observation, the blond haired man was allowed to return home a day later. Rocinante was secretly pleased that Law was suddenly being more attentive to him than he usually was. But inwardly, Rocinante was concerned because Law happened to be troubled by something. The dark haired man was trying his best to hide it, but Rocinante couldn't stand to see Law so troubled. The blond got the chance to question the surgeon later on in the evening a day or two later. Rocinante caught sight of Law and reached out to catch him by the arm as he passed the couch where the blond had his leg propped up. "Are you all right, Law?"

The dark haired surgeon hesitated, as if he didn't want to trouble the blond right now. "You can tell me." Rocinante said softly, trailing thumb and forefinger absently along Law's hand. "What is bothering you?"

"...I watched the news the day the building collapsed. At 4:00. The trial for the doctor accused of malpractice was suspended because he was found dead in his cell." Law looked away even as his hand moved to grip the blond's hand tightly. "At this point in time, they suspect suicide."

Rocinante drew Law to him so that the surgeon sat down alongside him. "That was around the same time Bellemere and I cornered the people we were trailing."

Law subconsciously pressed himself closer. "A coincidence?"

"I hope so." Rocinante said, even if he didn't sound confident.

"You think that your brother was involved." Law stated, as he reached for the coffee table and retrieved a book.

"Perhaps." The blond haired officer said absently. "It would certainly have been a good distraction to have a missing or injured officer. It would have drawn people's attention away from the jail." Rocinante rested an arm over Law's shoulders.

"I hope you've made at least some progress on getting incriminating evidence on your brother." The surgeon settled more comfortably up against Rocinante as he opened the book. "I wouldn't be surprised if he started to harass you again."

"There is an investigation going on. Nothing substantial yet, because we have to be careful that Doffy doesn't catch wind of it." Rocinante leaned over and brushed his lips against Law's cheek. "Enough about that for now, though. I don't want to think about it." The blond trailed fingers lightly along Law's shoulder before he frowned down at the pages and the pictures there. "…What are you reading?"

"A book about sex." Law said mildly as he turned a page. "I would think that the pictures should make that very obvious."

"Again?" Rocinante asked with a faint flush. The blond blinked down at the book, scanned the pages more closely, and then promptly pressed his cheek to the top of Law's head. "How can you be so calm when you read that?" And did the book have to be as detailed as it was? Even if it was mostly just pictures.

"Well, I need to have more information to work with before I think about doing anything else." Law said matter of fact as he turned another page and turned it to the side before he tilted his head. "I need to be able to mentally prepare myself."

Rocinante moved so that he could press his face against Law's neck instead as he issued a groan. "You really don't have to do that if you aren't interested. And why are you even looking through a book that details different positions when you haven't even had sex?" Rocinante sagged against Law as one of the surgeon's hands reached up to ruffle his hair.

"Curiosity. I was not aware that the human body could bend in such a way." Law commented, his voice vague. At a faint sound from Rocinante, the surgeon added. "I haven't been in a relationship with anyone before you, remember? I never considered any sexual intimacy between myself and another person." Law dropped his hand from Rocinante's hair to hold the blond's hand. "I do not want you to think that I am ignoring your…feelings on the matter."

"We don't have to actually go all the way through to sex. And certainly nothing like what that…" Rocinante indicated the page Law had the book opened to, "…is showing you. What we've been doing is perfectly fine if it's all that you're comfortable with. I don't want to push you into doing something more, Law." Rocinante let out a gasp as his hand was let go of and he was shoved away by Law. The blond wore a hurt expression, before he frowned, baffled, when the dark haired man settled on the couch more comfortably and stared at him.

"Lie down, Cora." Law said as he looked to the side, a faint tinge visible across his cheeks.

Rocinante smiled brightly as he scooted closer and carefully rested his head on Law's lap. A soft exhale followed as the dark haired surgeon began to trail a hand lightly through his hair. The blond went into a blissful silence at the sensation of Law's hand threading gently through his hair. Rocinante was gone before he could even properly take in the words that Law spoke to him.

Because it was one of the few times that Law had told him that he loved him. And it would have made Rocinante smile to hear the follow up of Law asking him to be more careful so that he wasn't hurt while at work.

Again, Rocinante felt that it may have been a good thing that he was dozing off. Because the blond haired officer would have known that he couldn't make a promise that he wouldn't be able to keep. There was always a chance to be harmed while on duty.

And Law likely knew that.

-x-

As soon as Rocinante woke up again, he was sure to give a sleepy, confused Law a very thorough kiss. "I love you too." He had recalled Law's words from the previous day. The blond proceeded to cuddle the slightly grumpy, albeit blushing, surgeon but Rocinante figured the other man was a bit surly because he had been woken up. And then Law went and surprised the blond again with a few choice words.

"Do you want to have some of your co-workers over sometime?" Law asked as he gripped Rocinante's sweater.

"As in, over to the house?" Rocinante only asked for clarification to make sure that he had heard the surgeon correctly. Rocinante even glanced down to look Law in the eyes.

"Yes." Law said, and he frowned, still a little sleepy, as he took in the expression that the blond now wore. "What is that for? Did I say something funny?"

With no warning whatsoever, Rocinante began to smother Law in little kisses, and continued making affectionate gestures even as the surgeon tried to make his escape. The blond hugged the dark haired man tightly, because what Law had essentially asked was if he wanted a get-together party.

At his home.

Their home.

Rocinante nuzzled Law, elated, as the dark haired man tried to get him to calm down.

"Cora! What is it? Are you all right? What's wrong?"

But the blond haired officer couldn't calm down. Rocinante couldn't even tell the surgeon that he was perfectly fine and that he was just surprised. It would always amuse Rocinante that Law's first instinct was to think something was wrong if the blond happened to act in some way he hadn't anticipated. Rocinante pecked Law on the nose and squeezed him some more because he was so proud of the surgeon for even asking.

Because the idea that Law had offered was too bizarre given his feelings on crowds in general. Law appeared to hate parties from what Rocinante had seen. The surgeon seemed to hate crowds, especially when it had nothing to do with work. So for Law to ask if Rocinante wanted to have some kind of party with people he might not have known was something of a huge feat.

A miracle, even. Rocinante had started to cry and just hugged Law as snugly as he could without driving the breath out of the dark haired man.

Law was understandably confused by Rocinante's actions. The surgeon, in fact, appeared to be trying to check the other man over to make sure that he hadn't hit his head.

Rocinante outright sobbed some more over the surgeon's concern for his health and clung to Law. And made incoherent sounds of assent over the idea of having a low key party at their house. Neither Law nor Rocinante had noticed that they'd been intruded upon moments before, but they should have expected it.

Because they were still in the living room.

-x-

Shachi and Penguin came in to the living room to see what the commotion was, and were treated to the sight of Rocinante playfully heaping affection on a steadily redder faced Law. The surgeon's roommates exchanged glances with one another.

"I think we missed something." Penguin said of the sight of Rocinante suddenly beginning to cry his eyes out as he hugged Law, who appeared to be mortified by the blond's actions. Even if the surgeon did awkwardly pat Rocinante on the back as the blond started to calm himself down.

"Guess so." Shachi said as he watched Law break free from the blond haired officer's affections to vacate the area.

"Ask later?" Penguin questioned as he watched Rocinante get up off of the couch to limp after the surgeon. The blond haired man was still teary eyed but for some reason deliriously happy.

Both Shachi and Penguin heard a door shut, followed by muffled laughter and then some kind of argument. Even if it seemed one sided, because Rocinante's tone appeared level and calm, while Law's was agitated over something.

"Should we have told Law that his pants were falling off?" Shachi asked as he followed after his friend.

Penguin said nothing for a moment until he entered the kitchen and saw the red head's expectant expression and sighed. "I think Rocinante just told him."

Shachi just grinned as if it were the funniest thing in the world for Law to walk to his room. Run, really, with his pants slowly sliding down as he moved.

-x-

In Law's…their, bedroom…Rocinante had to keep reminding himself of that. And when he did, it always made him happy to think that it was theirs instead of only Law's, before reality flicked him in the face.

Literally.

Rocinante gave Law a cross look for the surgeon flicking him on the nose, but quailed under the glare that Law leveled at him. And then the blond shifted from where he'd eased himself down onto the bed. He'd just spent the past few minutes being bitched at by Law for putting weight on his sprained ankle, but Rocinante had a comeback when Law opened his mouth. The surgeon was likely about to tell him all the medical things that could go wrong if he didn't take it easy. "Law."

"What?" Law asked, still sounding a bit irritated.

"Your pants are falling off." Rocinante said in a grave voice, and when Law was distracted, he reached forward and tugged on the other man's arm until the surgeon fell onto him with what sound suspiciously like a squeak. Rocinante gave Law a smile when the other scowled at him, before the dark haired man grudgingly allowed a kiss.

Law waited until the kiss ended before he slid off the bed to check on Rocinante's foot. Once the surgeon was satisfied that no harm had been done from Rocinante's short walk, Law sat back down on the bed.

Rocinante gave Law a hug then and there because the blond felt that the surgeon needed one.

"I did mean it when I said it was fine if you invite some of your coworkers over." Law said after a time. "Because this is your home too, so I shouldn't say no to…some gatherings."

Rocinante slowly encroached on the surgeon's space because he believed that Law needed a kiss after that. That the dark haired surgeon turned and pressed up against him made it seem to Rocinante that Law was amendable to the idea.

The idea that now that they were alone, it was all right to indulge in kisses, even if it didn't go farther than that.

 


	49. Chapter 49

Rocinante had plans, and they involved Law. Most of the blond haired officer's plans nowadays involved Law, and many of them were carried out in the privacy of their home. On occasion, Rocinante took Law out of the house on little ventures and the blond was always so pleased with the other's progress.

More recently Rocinante was getting Law out into the public and mingling with those he normally would not interact with. Mainly to get Law used to being around people before Rocinante invited some of his coworkers over to their house. He had even had Law meet a few of them briefly when they'd gone out to eat, so that Law wouldn't think them complete strangers when they came over to their house.

Their house.

Rocinante absently frayed a napkin in front of him as he smiled dreamily at the thought. He liked the sound of that. Their house. It made the blond haired officer so happy to think that he was now living under the same roof as Law. Especially considering how aloof the other man had been the first few months they had begun to go out. And now-

"Cora? Are you all right?" A hand stopped Rocinante's mindless destruction of a once perfectly fine restaurant napkin. "You haven't finished your dinner."

Rocinante lifted his gaze from the partially destroyed napkin and beamed happily at the sight of Law's puzzled expression. And then he looked down at the hand that was over his and turned it over to grab the surgeon's hand. With a furtive glance to see that no one was looking in their direction, Rocinante gave the hand a quick kiss. He immediately let go to allow Law to retract the hand, but was pleased to see that the surgeon didn't appear to be upset that he'd done the affectionate gesture. More like overly conscious of the fact that someone might have seen them. It made Rocinante smile some more.

"Are you certain that you are all right?" Law asked after a moment. "You have been smiling like you've drunk too much." The surgeon's golden eyes fell on Rocinante's glass. "Perhaps you should stick with water after you finish that drink."

Rocinante propped his chin up on one hand and smiled, beside himself with how adorable the other man was being. "It's a soda, Law." The blond stirred the drink with a straw as he quirked his lips into a teasing smile. "See? Bubbles." Rocinante knew that he'd embarrassed Law when he saw the blush cross the other's cheeks, and he had to restrain himself from reaching out to pull Law onto his lap when the surgeon abruptly got out of his seat. Law's face all but red when he seemed to have realized that yes, Rocinante was drinking a non alcoholic beverage.

"It seems that I have had too much coffee again." Law said as an excuse to leave the table. The dark haired surgeon kept well out of Rocinante's reach, even if he and the blond both knew that Rocinante would not actually heap affection on him in a public place. Law only made it a few steps in the direction of the bathroom when a familiar voice spoke up.

"Haven't seen you in a while Trafalgar." Kidd said smoothly, suddenly blocking Law's way.

Rocinante immediately tensed up. The blond haired officer did not like how close the red head was to Law. Unbidden, the blond recalled Law's admission that Kidd had touched him in a rather sexual way, and Rocinante knew that there would be trouble in the immediate future if the red head even so much as touched Law now. But for time being, he waited to see how Law would handle things. Rocinante remembered that Law had told him that he was perfectly capable of handling Kidd on his own, so the blond would respect that, for now.

"So what'cha doing after this?" Kidd asked, pointedly ignoring the blond haired officer nearby as he leered at Law. "You actually gonna have any fun tonight?" The red head slid closer into Law's personal space. "Because if not, you could always come with me. I bet I'd blow your mind better than he could anyway."

Rocinante was up out of the booth before he could even really think things through properly. Because apart from the words that Kidd had spoken, which neither he nor Law appreciated in the least, it also looked as if the red head was going to make an attempt at slapping Law on the ass. Rocinante wasn't about to let Kidd touch Law right in front of him. The red head should have been able to see just from Law's body language (and the fact that he'd flipped the red head off) that he was not interested in the least bit at what Kidd had offered. Not to mention the fact that Rocinante knew that Law would not have appreciated being touched, and especially not in the presence of other people.

And attempted was the correct word to use regarding Kidd, because Rocinante only had to take a few steps in the red head's direction to dissuade the hand from reaching its destination. And it was done with the punch that he hadn't thrown back at the beach so many months ago.

Rocinante ended up striking Kidd with more of a warning cuff than anything because the blond had been hasty when he'd made the swing. He also thought he may have felt some weight on his other arm. Odd. Rocinante dismissed the touch and decided that he might get into a fist fight to make it clear to not touch Law again without his permission. Not that Rocinante thought Law would give Kidd permission, but still. Even if Rocinante felt that it might embarrass Law to have people witness the exchange, he would make it clear to Kidd that what he had been doing and had been about to do was not at all okay. Fortunately, Kidd had not yet struck back, even if the red head appeared to really want to. Rocinante didn't care why as he took a step toward Kidd.

That seemed to settle things, because the red head made a fist and bared his teeth in an eager grin. Rocinante wondered if he'd wanted to get into a fight with him back at the beach. Either way, it looked like they were going to exchange blows after all, and the blond braced himself for the inevitable.

And then Law was suddenly between Rocinante and Kidd, and that put an end to whatever may have occurred. Kidd abruptly halted before his swinging fist could strike the surgeon, while Rocinante stumbled and nearly fell over. When Law spoke, it was quiet, calm, and controlled.

And very clearly angry.

"What do you think you're doing?" The dark haired surgeon demanded of the blond to one side of him. "You're an officer, aren't you? You should have better control than that. Don't let that idiot provoke you." Law turned his glare on Kidd. "If anything, I should be the one to punch him."

Rocinante just stopped short of hanging his head as he gave the dark haired surgeon an apologetic look.

The red head absently brushed a few fingers over his cheek. Kidd then rolled his shoulder in a way that seemed like he felt he may have deserved the strike but would never admit fault.

"Cora. Sit down." Law's golden eyes were back on the blond haired officer. At the very insistent demand, Rocinante did as asked. And then grunted as Law practically crawled over his lap to press up against his side on the inside of the booth as the surgeon gave Kidd a very unfriendly look.

"I have told you many times before that I am not interested in seeing anyone other than him." Law settled comfortably against Rocinante in emphasis. "At the very least, he does not speak in such a crass way. He also does not go around asking if I want to have sex." Law narrowed his eyes at Kidd when it looked as if the red head were about to speak. "That was exactly what you were implying. If he does bring the subject up, to is with more tact than you could ever hope for. And he does not push me if I do not want to do something."

Rocinante was feeling little bursts of happiness with every word the surgeon spoke and it took everything in his power to not shower Law in kisses. Because Law was right, he wasn't going to push him, and he also respected that the dark haired man did not like to display affection in front of other people. Especially strangers.

Kidd seemed to want to say something, but hesitated.

Well, that was interesting. Rocinante thought he'd have had some rude comeback but perhaps not. Law was certainly pressing up against him as tightly as he could, and Rocinante figured that for the moment, Law had forgotten he'd wanted to go to the bathroom. Whether to ride out some embarrassment or actually use the bathroom, Rocinante wasn't sure. But the blond haired officer believed that was probably for the best, in case Kidd had found Law there. Rocinante slowly moved a hand to close over Law's nearest one. He felt that the surgeon wouldn't want too much of a show of possessiveness, but enough to show that Law was certainly more relaxed around him. Rocinante would have liked Law on his lap so he could hug him and glare at Kidd to better warn him off, but felt that that would push it a bit regarding Law's feelings on being...cozy in public.

Kidd appeared to have gotten the message, however, because the red head bit back whatever he might have said. And then the red head's amber eyes widened a bit as Kidd caught sight of something. There was a curse before the red head made himself scarce, but not without an almost, almost guilty expression sent in Law's general direction.

Rocinante figured he'd imagined seeing that expression. He doubted Kidd had the capacity to feel guilt, although he could be unfairly biased about it. And then the blond was embarrassed because he soon caught sight of what had sent Kidd slinking off.

Bellemere.

The police woman had been seated in another section of the restaurant, and had come over to the table.

"Was that Eustass Kidd?" The police woman asked, as she glanced in the direction the red head had gone.

"Yes it was." Rocinante said, his hand still gripped loosely around Law's.

Bellemere either didn't notice the hand holding or chose to say nothing of it. "What happened?"

"Law's had trouble with him before. I believe Kidd wants to go out with him, but Law doesn't want to. But Kidd keeps intruding on his personal space and, well..." Rocinante felt the dark haired surgeon lean heavily against him. "And he touched him…inappropriately the last time they crossed paths with one another."

Bellemere gave a furtive glance around the restaurant, but it appeared that no one was paying them any heed now that the show was over. Bellemere turned back to Rocinante. "Did you get a hit in?"

"A little one." Rocinante admitted.

"…I would have slugged the bastard. I swear, that red head needs some sense knocked into him. I caught him raiding some machinery store last week for parts for something he was making." Bellemere smiled. "I guess he's lucky you're more easygoing most of the time."

Rocinante didn't tell her that he'd felt Law tug him back a bit, which had resulted in more of a glancing blow than a solid punch. The blond had finally settled on what had added that extra weight to his other arm. Rocinante was grateful that the surgeon had done that. Otherwise he might well have knocked Kidd over and into another table. And that would have created a big scene which would have resulted in Law being absent for hours from his life. Via a locked bedroom.

"If Kidd had tried that with either of my daughters, I wouldn't have stopped at one punch." Bellemere said bluntly.

"How are they doing?" Rocinante asked. He didn't want to make Law more uncomfortable and from the feel of it the surgeon was back to wanting to go home and be out of the situation altogether.

"There're great." Bellemere laughed a little. "I'd bring 'em to the party tomorrow, but I don't think you'd want Nami to pickpocket everyone. It'd probably be too tempting." Bellemere turned and went back to her table. "I'll check in with the station later and see if Kidd still has any community service to do. Or rather, catch up on. He obviously has too much free time if he's hitting on your surgeon."

As soon as Bellemere was gone, Rocinante realized that Law had moved away from his side. But he noted with a smile that Law still allowed his hand to be held and with a more rueful smile, squeezed Law's hand gently. "Sorry about that." And he wasn't sure whether he meant Kidd or Bellemere or both.

Law merely squeezed the blond's hand in return as he began to dig around for a credit card.

Rocinante saw that the surgeon had a slight blush across his cheeks, likely from Bellemere's comment about Law being 'his.' Rocinante didn't argue about Law paying for their meal, as the blond wanted him in a relatively good mood so that he didn't change his mind about the party…well, 'get together.'

Tomorrow.

-x-

When they were out of the restaurant and just outside their house, Rocinante leaned over to peck Law on the cheek. The ride back home on the train had been silent, and Rocinante was a bit concerned because Law hadn't spoken to him since he'd told Kidd off.

"Cora?"

Rocinante smiled and gave Law a hug, pleased that the surgeon merely leaned into it with a soft sigh. "If he tires that again, I'll arrest him, idiot or no." Rocinante said of Kidd's actions back at the restaurant. Law pulled himself out of the hug but Rocinante quickly overrode Law's objections as he reached out and opened the door. "What if Kidd had cornered you in the bathroom?"

Law opened his mouth, shut it, and then frowned. "That hadn't occurred to me."

Of course it hadn't, because Law wouldn't have been thinking about the possibility. "The party tomorrow…it is still all right, isn't it?" Rocinante asked worriedly as they entered the house. Rocinante turned to close and lock the door. When he faced the living room again, the surgeon was there. The blond tilted his head down to look into those golden eyes. "Law?"

The surgeon merely reached up and tugged the heart straps of the hood silently as he returned eye contact.

Rocinante flushed over the fact that he had worn the hood to dinner. "Bellemere is going to tease me over wearing this." That must have been why the police woman had been smiling at him. Another thought occurred to him. "It even has hearts on it." Rocinante knew without a doubt that his coworkers were all going to be making good-natured heart jokes at the station and at the party. Rocinante buried his face in his hands, too embarrassed to put into words about what other people in the restaurant may have thought. But at the very least, Law made it clear that he had been perfectly fine with it. Rocinante's eyes flew open when he felt Law move his hands away from his mouth to kiss him. The blond was only startled for a moment before he all but melted into the kiss.

An unhurried, very sweet kiss.

"Gosh, Law, I thought you didn't like PDA." Shachi teased as he walked by. The red haired roommate was sent on his way with an expertly aimed pillow.

"Law, we can go somewhere e-" Rocinante began, but petered off at the expression that the surgeon was wearing. The blond made a faint sound as Law approached him.

"No, it's fine. We can stay here." Law pressed close to Rocinante as he added, "Ignore him." Law obviously meant Shachi, and with that out of the way, the dark haired man continued where he'd left off with the kiss. A few minutes later and Rocinante was seated with his face buried in his hands again. The blond was sure that there was a blush steadily rising on his cheeks, and it was from Law's boldness with the kiss. The surgeon in question was seated on the couch next to the blond, wearing a smirk of satisfaction. Rocinante would have blushed even more to know that that little exchange with Shachi had all been planned before they'd even left the house for dinner.

Because while Rocinante conspired with the dark haired surgeon's roommates on occasion, Law too conspired with them in return when the surgeon felt that he needed advice.

 


	50. Chapter 50

Law had made a mistake.

He shouldn't have gone through with the party after all. Even if Law did know some of the people by sight, there were still far too many of them in his immediate space. But for Rocinante, the surgeon dealt with his discomfort on the matter for the most part. Law ended up wearing a practiced smirk and had a bit of a sarcastic air about him whenever he spoke to someone.

"Hey, Shachi, how's it going?"

Law glanced to one side to note that his red haired roommate was chatting amiably with two of the officers.

"Good. Got some things to take care of at work the next couple of days." Shachi paused, and then added, with a grin. "And some nurses to chat with."

There was a short laugh before one of the officers fixed Shachi with a curious look.

"You are behaving yourself then?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Shachi said with a slightly wicked smile.

There was some more laughter at the red head's response.

"You aren't thieving anymore?" One of the officers clarified.

"Me?" Shachi had an innocent look now, even if the slight curl to his lips ruined it. "Nah, I'm doing legit stuff now."

Law wondered how much trouble his roommate would get in to if the cops found out about his breaking and entering foray into Doflamingo's mansion. The surgeon decided not to dwell upon troubling thoughts and instead focused on the present. Law stayed in the same room as the guests for perhaps three and a half hours in total before he felt he had to leave.

Rocinante appeared to notice his faint distress, because he smoothly cut into the conversation. Or rather, the blond made the attempt and instead ended up falling over flat on his back. Rocinante also somehow managed to light the stove and himself on fire in the process.

During the general merriment of helping put out the fire and assisting Rocinante upright to check and see if he was all right, Law had made his decision to make himself scarce. He'd already exchange pleasantries with nearly everyone there, and no one should be surprised if he suddenly was gone. Shachi and Penguin were more likely to make their good byes for him, knowing what the surgeon was like most of the time.

Law did linger in the kitchen briefly to make absolutely certain that Rocinante was all right, before the surgeon fled the moment that his eyes met Rocinante's.

That deliriously happy smile was going to make him melt and Law was not going to do so in a roomful of officers. It would be mortifying. That the blond had given him a knowing smile as soon as he made his escape made Law wonder what was going on in Rocinante's mind.

But Law figured that if Rocinante wanted to see him after the party was over with that the blond haired officer would come and find him. For now, Law felt that some peace and quiet was called for.

-x-

Rocinante joined Law some time later after the last of his coworkers had left the house. And Rocinante found the dark haired surgeon right where he expected him to be. Curled up on the loveseat in the sunroom and clearly in no hurry to leave. As Rocinante approached Law, the blond flushed a little at Bellemere's words before she'd left.

_"You better go find your surgeon. He looked like he was going to go hide. You should go find him before he disappears into the wall or something."_

_"He isn't a ghost." Rocinante had told Bellemere in return._

_Bellemere had merely lit a cigarette and laughed as she slapped him on the chest as she walked off. "Go find your boyfriend then."_

_"Bellemere!"_

Rocinante shook his head slightly. He knew that his relationship with Law was no secret at work. He was just relieved that no one had chosen to take issue with it.

"Don't trip, Cora. Wine is difficult to get out of the rug here."

Rocinante was careful with the glasses that he carried. He didn't need the surgeon to tell him that spilling wine would be a bad idea. Besides, Rocinante happened to like this rug. It reminded him of the time that he had cuddled with Law on it some months ago. Not that Rocinante was going to tell the surgeon that.

Law seemed to realize that Rocinante was going to join him, because he scooted over to one side of the loveseat to make room for him. The blond figured that now was a good a time as any to offer the dark haired surgeon alcohol. Law seemed like he needed a drink after the party anyway. His nerves certainly appeared to have been frayed after nearly four hours of close proximity to a number of people. Rocinante felt slightly bad that a few more people showed up than he had anticipated, but was glad that Law had taken it in stride.

The dark haired surgeon silently took the offered glass of wine and sipped at it while Rocinante settled down next to him.

The blond was amused to see that Law had noticed that his glass was smaller than his. But then again, Law should have known that Rocinante was bigger and could handle more liquor.

Law scooted closer to Rocinante as he continued to sip the wine.

"You had enough of the party?" Rocinante teased as he draped one arm over Law's shoulders.

The surgeon leaned up against the blond, quiet, before he nodded. "It got to be a bit much."

"You're doing much better with crowds, you know." Rocinante leaned over to peck Law on the cheek. "You stayed out longer than the last time."

Law nodded absently as he finished his wine and set the glass aside. "I told Shachi to keep it down."

"I think he will since he seems to have gone through a bottle of wine on his own." Rocinante said, bemused. "I think I saw him passed out on the couch."

The dark haired man shook his head, before he relaxed against Rocinante further. "At least he didn't let anything slip about his recent activities."

Rocinante held the hand that rested on his arm, and smiled when Law fell asleep. Not too long after the surgeon had begun to snore softly did Rocinante doze off as well.

And that was when Penguin happened upon them.

-x-

Rocinante woke briefly when he felt something draped over him. It confused him briefly, and made him rest his arm more heavily over Law's shoulders. Rocinante used his free hand to feel the item and found it to be soft.

A blanket.

Rocinante opened his eyes and glanced up to find one of Law's roommates standing there.

"Oh, I thought you were asleep." Penguin commented, the two wine glasses from earlier in his hands.

Rocinante made some unintelligible response as he sleepily resettled the blanket. As Rocinante lay awkwardly on the loveseat, he shifted Law so that he could more easily cuddle the surgeon to his chest. When Penguin was gone, Rocinante nuzzled his cheek against Law's hair, a content smile on his face as he drifted off again.

This was a perfect way to end the day.


	51. Chapter 51

Rocinante would have liked to have worked that day. It wasn't a thought he often had as of late, because he did so enjoy Law's company on those days that he had off. But right now, Rocinante was at home and feeling absolutely miserable. Because the blond haired officer felt that Law was upset with him for some reason or another earlier that morning. Law had certainly left him more hastily than usual, and with an annoyed frown that didn't often cross his face.

Rocinante fidgeted as he went to get something to drink out of the fridge. He wished that he could ask Law what he'd done wrong. The blond crossed into the dining room and drank directly out of the orange juice container, distracted. But to ask what was wrong, he'd have to seek Law out and be able to have the surgeon hold still long enough for him to actually ask the question.

-x-

Throughout the day, and especially into the evening, Law noted that Rocinante seemed unusually subdued, and couldn't figure out why. And it wasn't because he didn't try to ask. It was because Rocinante would make himself scarce with some muttered excuse whenever he approached him. It confused Law, so he posed the problem to his roommates around dinnertime.

Shachi and Penguin exchanged glances in that infuriating way before they had informed Law that it was probably because of the way he'd reacted to Rocinante giving him a hug that morning.

Law supposed that that could have been the problem, because the blond had hugged him more tightly than he normally did, and the surgeon supposed he may have gotten more defensive than he ought to have. Law had broken away from Rocinante's embrace and made his escape without a word and more likely than not wearing a frown. Law puzzled over things as Shachi left the room. The surgeon only noticed his red haired roommate's return when Shachi came back and pressed something into his hands with a grin. The red head vanished into another room immediately after.

The dark haired surgeon looked down at what was in his hand.

Mistletoe.

Law clutched the item loosely in his hand. He was going to strangle Shachi for his continued interferences, but this time...this time, the surgeon supposed he had to let it slide. Because Law couldn't deny that something like the mistletoe might cheer Rocinante up over a misunderstanding. Law turned and headed for his and Rocinante's bedroom. He might as well go through with this before Rocinante twisted himself into a knot of anxiety over something that Law had done without thinking what those actions might cause.

-x-

"Cora? Could you come here?"

Rocinante hesitated outside of the bedroom, but figured from the other's tone, it wasn't the dreaded 'we need to talk' words. Rocinante hoped he'd never hear Law say that to him.

The dark haired surgeon suddenly appeared in the doorway. Law wore an expression that made it clear that he wondered why it was taking Rocinante so long to go into their room. Rocinante stared at Law nervously, and had trouble getting out what he wanted to say. Those golden eyes were mesmerizing in the light of the dimly lit hallway. And then Law's words completely thrashed whatever the blond might have said.

"I think we need to talk."

Rocinante broke down completely as he sunk to his knees lest he fall over. The blond haired officer completely missed Law's perplexed look at his actions as Rocinante started to cry and apologized over and over for whatever he'd done to upset Law and to please not leave him and then-

Law kissed him.

Rocinante clung to Law in surprise as the surgeon kept the kiss going, and the blond wrapped his arms around Law tentatively. Kissing him didn't seem like something Law would do if he were breaking up with him, so what was going on?

Law wore an uncertain expression as he drew away from the kiss.

It made Rocinante cling to him more tightly. "Don't go." The blond mumbled into Law's nearest shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere." Law said, the confusion in his voice evident. "I merely thought we should talk about what happened earlier. You've been avoiding me all day long."

Rocinante sniffed as he carefully readjusted his arms around Law to hold him more securely. "Aren't you mad at me?"

"Only for a little while this morning." Law said as he hesitantly returned the hug. He was still standing so when he leaned over to hug Rocinante it was kind of awkward. "I just needed some space. You did kind of squeeze me very tightly this morning."

"I'm sorry. I was just happy to see you this morning." Rocinante said sheepishly.

"You see me every morning. Why would this morning be any different?" Law asked, genuinely interested. As if he couldn't see what would prompt the blond to drive the air out of his body when he barely had taken a step outside he bedroom that morning.

"I don't know." Rocinante said, a little embarrassed. "I just felt happy and wanted to hug you."

"But you do that anyway." Law pointed out.

"Law." Rocinante said with a sigh. The blond rested his cheek against Law's shoulder comfortably. "I really don't know. It's just that...you always make me so happy, it just felt right." Rocinante was quiet for a moment. "Why did you kiss me?" Not that the blond haired officer would ever say no to a kiss from Law, no matter the reason.

"My roommates agreed that you thought I was upset with you." Law looked off to the side as he pointed up with a finger. "And Shachi gave me that, so I thought I'd use it."

Rocinante looked up and saw the mistletoe in the doorway. Happiness spread through the blond as he pulled Law closer to him, and was amused that while he was on his knees, Law stood taller than him.

Law braced his hands on Rocinante's shoulders. "Cora?"

Rocinante smiled at Law and then without warning toppled him over onto the ground to half rest over him. The surgeon let out a breathless laugh as the blond showered him with little kisses on the cheek. The genuine laughter and the tiny smile that had appeared on Law's face made Rocinante's smile even happier than before as he gave the surgeon a more passionate kiss then usual.

Law brought his hands up to drag them through shaggy blond hair as he mumbled some nonsense words and then sighed into the kiss.

Rocinante wasn't sure how it happened, but suddenly he was leaving a firm line of little kisses down along the side of Law's neck. Rocinante reached the surgeon's collarbone and lavished the tanned skin with tongue and lips as the surgeon himself sprawled out on his back.

Law made another encouraging sound as one of Rocinante's hands started to slowly trail down his side.

Rocinante had Law's shirt unbuttoned in seconds so that he could teasingly stroke the skin there with his fingertips as he kissed the tattoos that marked most of the surgeon's chest.

"C...Cora." Law said as he dug his hands into Rocinante's hair again.

Rocinante hummed something in response as he made his way up Law's heaving chest and dared to suck hard at the side of the dark haired man's neck. That dragged a very interesting sound from Law, and the sensation had made the surgeon writhe. Rocinante smiled and left Law's neck alone for the moment as he leaned up to kiss him between ear and jaw. The kiss drew forth a faint whine as the surgeon's hands gripped the blond's hair.

"Cora." Law breathed as he tugged insistently at the hair in his grasp.

Rocinante allowed Law to tug his hair to pull him back up into another kiss, and sighed contentedly into it as his hands worked at Law's belt. It seemed that Law was all right with what was going on because he'd even begun to shift slightly to make it easier for the blond to get him out of his pants. Rocinante increased the intensity of the kiss as his tongue darted out across Law's lips, which caused the surgeon to gasp. Rocinante got Law out of his pants as he leisurely explored the inside of Law's mouth, feeling exhilarated when one of the surgeon's hands moved to the back of his head to encourage this kiss to linger. Rocinante let out a choked sound into the kiss when Law hesitantly reached lower and cupped the front of his pants.

The blond had not expected that at all and wasn't sure what to do with his body's sudden interest in what the surgeon had just done.

"Can I...touch you?" Law asked as soon as he was freed from the kiss.

Rocinante heard a trace of embarrassment in Law's tone but he was distracted by the surgeon's hand on him. The blond buried his face against the side of Law's neck to kiss and suck at the skin again before he found his voice. "Yes." Rocinante said as he moved forward a bit to allow Law more space to work. "Please." He would let Law decide how far he wanted to go, but for right now, Rocinante was going to focus on trying to hold still and let Law do as he liked.

Which apparently was to trace the front of his pants with the same hand.

Rocinante forced himself to hold still and not press against Law's hand lest he embarrass the surgeon further for his sudden desire to want to touch him. Because Rocinante wanted to touch Law too. The blond pressed his face between Law's neck and shoulder as he felt the surgeon unbutton his pants and pull them down, lithe hands making short work of the briefs and gripped his dick in his hand without batting an eye.

"You're already hard." Law stated in a bland voice.

Rocinante was sure he made some faint whimper in return as he valiantly fought the urge to sag into Law's touch. And then the surgeon began to run both of his hands along his shaft and even thumbed the tip.  Rocinante couldn't help but buck his hips occasionally at the sensation. The blond was sure that if he looked at Law now that the surgeon would be eying him to see his reactions. And Rocinante was right when Law spoke not a moment later.

"It's kind of difficult to tell if this is all right for you when I can't see your face, Cora." Law said absently, his hands momentarily halting their motions. "Is something the matter?"

"I'm just trying to...control myself..." Rocinante was going to say something more intelligible than that but instead let out a harsh exhalation. Law had thumbed the tip of his dick again and really, the dark haired man was clearly having too much fun even if he wasn't outwardly showing it.

"Oh?" Law's hands started to move again. "What were you thinking of doing?"

Rocinante had to wonder if Law went into a different mind set when they did this. Law was certainly less hesitant and seemed to make use of those books that he'd read to keep things familiar to him.

"Cora?"

Rocinante supposed it was no use hiding what he wanted to do.

"Want to move. Want to touch you." Rocinante managed as he shakily propped himself up on one forearm to glance down at Law. The blond shook slightly as he tried in vain to pay attention to what Law was saying versus what the surgeon's hands were still doing. "Want to kiss you."

"I guess moving would make this better, wouldn't it?" Law questioned, indicating his hands as he wrapped them loosely around the blond's cock with a light squeeze. "Just don't thrust too hard. I might lose my grip."

Rocinante stared at Law wordlessly, clearly baffled by the other's behavior. Rocinante then shook his head as leaned forward a bit and kissed the surgeon with a turned on groan. Rocinante couldn't help but feel as if the dark haired surgeon were teasing him when he said such things. And then Rocinante pressed into Law's touch with a tentative shift of his hips. It was a bit awkward lying on his back but Law moved his hands down in response so it worked out.

It was definitely better when he moved, and since Law didn't protest it after the kiss, Rocinante continued to try and press down as much as he possibly could into Law's hands. But he tried to not thrust too much, because really, Rocinante was kind of embarrassed himself just thinking about how Law might be embarrassed about this as well when they were finished.

"You don't have to worry about being gentle."  Law informed the blond in a matter of fact tone.  "Just warn me when you're going to come, though.  I'd rather be forewarned."

Rocinante didn't last long after that, and felt that Law was too amused with him afterward. It was kind of odd, for the surgeon to suddenly be so comfortable with this. At least until Rocinante tried to return the favor and got about halfway through to getting the dark haired man to a release when Law suddenly became shy and self-conscious again.

Law's breath hitched as Rocinante's hands gently slid along the length of his shaft. "Wait."

"Do you want me to stop?" Rocinante asked, even if he felt that Law was close despite barely being touched.

The dark haired surgeon was still laid out on his back, and after he took a few breaths, Law shook his head and grabbed Rocinante by his hair. "Don't stop."

Rocinante kissed Law and after giving a few more strokes and returning the favor of thumbing the head as well, felt the surgeon come with a faint sound. Rocinante let go as he nuzzled the side of Law's neck while the surgeon went inert on the ground.

As soon as Rocinante drew back, Law seemed to realize what had happened and blushed as he hastily got back into his pants despite the fact that he would now have to clean them. Rocinante bemusedly allowed Law to help him back into his pants as well and couldn't help but half lay over Law to give him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. As if to reassure the surgeon that everything was fine.

"I'm glad you two have made up and all, but maybe you should continue that in your room." Penguin suggested as he walked by with some pillows. "That is, if you don't want Shachi to make a crack at you." Law squirmed beneath Rocinante as Penguin continued on his way to his own room.

Law was clearly horrified that Penguin could have seen them if they hadn't finished moments before. And the surgeon looked as if he hoped that Penguin hadn't seen the traces of their activities.

There was nothing that Rocinante could do to dissuade Law from his aggressive cleaning of the floor just inside the bedroom. The blond merely waited with an amused look on his face but decided halfway through the cleaning that Law was adorable when flustered. Because Rocinante had seen the flush on the surgeon's cheeks as he walked by.

The blond haired officer couldn't help but drag Law off to their bedroom to snuggle with him on the bed as soon as the surgeon had finished cleaning.

 


	52. Chapter 52

When Law woke up he found that he was still being embraced by Rocinante. The man was fast asleep and yet he was still snuggled as close to the surgeon as possible. Law briefly closed his eyes as he listened to Rocinante's steady breathing, and then realized that he'd fallen asleep without cleaning his pants.

Which felt distinctly uncomfortable considering what he'd done yesterday.

Law let out a light sigh and decided that he'd deal with the clothing sooner rather than later. The dark haired man found it a bit difficult to get out of Rocinante's grasp, but when he did he remembered that the other man's clothes were likely in a similar state as his own. With a furtive glance down to ensure that Rocinante was still asleep, Law shoved the sheets back and began to maneuver the blond out of his pants. With one last tug the surgeon succeeded in completely taking off the pants, and was about to go to the laundry room when an arm reached out and seized his nearest forearm.

"Where are you going?"

Law cast a glance to the side to see that Rocinante had tilted his head to the side to look at him. "Laundry room." Law said after a moment of studying the blond's sleepy expression before he indicated the pants that he had draped over his other arm.

"Hm." Rocinante hummed before he let go and turned over to bury his face into the nearest pillow with a sigh.

Law unwillingly caught sight of Rocinante's now bare backside and couldn't resist the sudden urge to reach over and slap it. He'd question why he had done so later. "Don't sleep in bed all day."

Rocinante let out a funny sound into the pillow as he scrunched up at the unexpected slap.

Law hastily vacated the bedroom with the pants, though he was slightly amused because Rocinante had merely tangled himself in the sheets to cover himself up. The dark haired surgeon spent the next half hour scrubbing more than just his and Rocinante's pants. He'd started on other dirty clothes instead of using the washer because Law felt that he needed to do something with his hands. And the surgeon tried in vain to ignore that he was dwelling on the fact that Rocinante had a nice, firm ass and how he wouldn't mind touching it again. Law, so focused on his task, nearly jumped out of his skin when Rocinante swooped in from behind to give him a loose hug, the blond's voice sounding right next to his ear.

"What was that for?"

"What?" Law asked, feigning ignorance as he scrubbed harder than was necessary at what appeared to be one of Shachi's shirts. The dark haired surgeon made an indignant sound as one of Rocinante's hands moved to give him a light slap across his jean clad backside.

"That." Rocinante said simply, before his arm went back around Law's waist, the blond's chin resting comfortably on the surgeon's shoulder. "Any particular reason that you did that?"

"I..." Law didn't really have a reason other than wanting to do so in that moment, and blamed the sight of Rocinante and his messy blond hair that led him to go through with his actions. "I saw that there were scars there?" And there were but that likely wasn't a good enough reason to suddenly decide that slapping Rocinante on the rump was a way to go about examining those scars.

"You looked at my butt when you were in the hot tub too. If you wanted to touch it, you should have just said so," Rocinante said matter of fact.

Law really had no answer to Rocinante's words. The surgeon instead ended up scrabbling to grip the edge of the tub in the laundry room as the blond decided to try and tug him backward. "Cora! I'm busy!"

"You don't have to wash all those clothes by hand." Rocinante said, amused, as he turned Law around to face him. "That's what the washer is for."

"It is fine, I don't mind doing it. I..." Hands still soaked with soapy water, Law let out a surprised gasp as Rocinante hoisted him up in his arms. "Cora! I'll get you wet."

"I don't mind." Rocinante responded as he pressed his face against the side of Law's neck. "I need to take a shower before I go to work anyway."

Law felt his back pressed up against the nearest wall so that Rocinante could focus more on him than the act of holding him up. Or so the surgeon believed, because suddenly Rocinante was kissing him with more enthusiasm than usual. Law wasn't sure what to make of that but returned the kiss all the same.

"I have to go to work soon." Rocinante said with a disappointed sigh as he released Law from the kiss.

"Me as well." The surgeon replied, a little breathless.

"Dinner?" Rocinante asked as he leaned in again to nose along Law's throat.

The dark haired surgeon subconsciously tilted his head back to allow Rocinante to leave a trail of kisses. "Eight?" Law asked once he felt that he was capable of speech.

"Eight." Rocinante confirmed before he drew Law into another kiss, this one lingering and sweet, before the blond backed away and let the surgeon land lightly on his feet. "I'll call you if I'm working later."

"Me too." Law said, as if in a daze.

Rocinante smiled and started to turn away, before he tripped and fell backward, nearly colliding with the surgeon as he fell.

"Cora!" Law said, as he went forward to assist Rocinante back to his feet. The kiss that the blond gave him once he was up on his feet had Law go at the laundry for another hour. Penguin happened upon Law by then and had wrestled the surgeon away from the laundry tub with fond exasperation.

Law went to the hospital a half hour later, in a rather decent mood for once. But that good feeling would soon vanish once Law received a rather menacing phone call right before the surgeon went to meet Rocinante for dinner later that day.

-x-

Law had not anticipated the call he received just as he was headed out of the hospital. In fact, the only calls he ever expected were from his roommates, Rocinante or someone from the hospital. Or, on the rare occasion, other people that he was friends with, or causal acquaintances that he may only see a handful of times during the year.

The dark haired surgeon honestly had not expected to receive a call from Doflamingo. Not exactly the most pleasant thing to happen to him when Law was supposed to meet Rocinante for dinner at a nearby restaurant. So, since he had little time to fool around, Law was blunt and straight to the point.

"What do you want?" Law's voice was taut; he remembered all too well what had happened the last time he'd crossed paths with Doflamingo.

_'Fufufufu. So cold, and I haven't even said anything yet.'_ Doflamingo said with a laugh, his voice clearly amused by the surgeon's hostility.

"I very much doubt that I would be interested to hear anything you have to say, considering what you did to Cora." Law would never forget the terror and panic that had swept through him at the thought of losing Rocinante that night. Even though he'd been heavily affected by the poison in his system at the time.

Doflamingo laughed again. _'Ah, such a cute nickname for my little brother. He must like it quite a bit if that's all you ever will call him.'_ Doflamingo smoothly cut Law off before the surgeon could protest. _'But that isn't why I've called you. I have something of a business proposition for you, seeing as my brother and his colleagues are the reason I'm short a doctor.'_

"So you _were_ blackmailing that doctor who had been arrested." Law said. He had had his suspicions, especially after the trial had been suspended. "I presume that you are responsible for that doctor no longer being with us?"

_'Possibly, I can't say one way or another._ ' Doflamingo said dismissively. _'And since I can't seem to get my brother to listen to me, I'm forced to change my tactics. I have thought on it for some time, and made a decision. Which is why I've called you.'_

"I am not going to jeopardize my life and my job by doing anything illegal." Law said firmly.

_'I didn't think that you would._ ' Doflamingo didn't seem to be at all surprised. _'But I'll say right now that I believe you'll see reason in the end and-'_

"Not happening." Law cut in, about to hang up when Doflamingo's tone became hostile.

_'You really don't know me like my brother does. So I'll give you a few days to think things over before you make a final decision.'_ The phone line went dead.

Law calmly pocketed his cell phone and went to dinner. He wasn't going to let Doflamingo's words bother him.

-x-

Dinner went smoothly, as the dark haired surgeon was able to keep his emotions under wrap concerning Doflamingo's call. Mainly because he'd gotten the surprise of Shachi deciding to turn up out of the blue to join them. Which had been effective for distracting Law to potential problems as he chewed his roommate out for interrupting his time with Rocinante. Shachi had cheerfully let the complaints bounce off of him and Law was forced to give in. And since Rocinante had seen no problem with the red head being there, Law had no reason to either.

So Law had grudgingly allowed his roommate to join them. But as soon as the irritation of Shachi being there vanished, Law began to worry over the phone call from Doflamingo again. So much so that by the time he, Rocinante and Shachi were headed home, Law was unable to keep it to himself any longer.

"Cora." Law said softly as he pressed himself up against the blond. The surgeon wouldn't normally choose to be so close out in the open, but Law's worries trumped how he felt about someone catching sight of him in public so close to Rocinante.

"What is it?" Rocinante appeared startled that Law was doing what he was doing out in the open, but carefully put an arm over his shoulders.

"Your brother called me earlier." Law admitted at length, and felt as Rocinante's arm tightened around his shoulders. The blond clearly hadn't expected him to say that.

Rocinante didn't say anything, however, and merely steered Law in the direction of their house, with Shachi leading the way. But the blond haired officer did appear to be more alert the rest of the way back home, as if he expected for Doflamingo or someone affiliated with him to show up.

As soon as they were back in the house, Shachi went in search of Penguin while Rocinante guided Law over to the couch, his voice concerned.

"You didn't agree to anything, did you?" The blond asked grimly.

"No, he said he was going to give me time to think about it before asking me again." Law answered after a moment as Rocinante joined him on the couch.

"You can't agree to anything that he asks of you." Rocinante insisted as he gave Law a hug. "No matter what he says."

"I don't know if I will be able to say no." Law said as he leaned up against Rocinante. "What if Doflamingo decides to target you, Shachi or Penguin?"

"We'll figure something out." Rocinante ventured after a moment as he tightened his hold on the dark hared surgeon.

"Penguin isn't here." Shachi said, the red head's voice concerned as he entered the living room.

Law was not reassured by that little detail and all but tore his cell from his pants pocket when it went off. "Penguin?"

_'Law, don't agree to anything if Doflamingo happens to call you.'_ Penguin sounded out of breath as if he were running. _'I was just ambushed outside of work, but I was able to fend them off. I'll be home soon.'_ Penguin hung up, presumably to concentrate on running.

"It seems that Doffy isn't going to take no as an answer for whatever it is that he wants from you." Rocinante said glumly as he nuzzled his cheek against the top of Law's head. The blond was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "How did Penguin get away?"

Law gave a little shrug. "He is competent in several martial arts."

Rocinante couldn't help but smile at that. "You really do have interesting friends."

The small group in the living room didn't have to wait long before Penguin returned home, out of breath. Law's roommate entered the house and locked the door firmly behind him.

Law figured that since the three people he cared the most about were all in one spot that Doflamingo wouldn't bother to call him back that day. But if Doflamingo had managed to catch Penguin unawares…what would he have done? Law felt Rocinante urge him onto his lap to better hold him, and for once the surgeon didn't protest over the fact that his roommates were still in the same room with them.

-x-

"I was afraid this might happen." Rocinante said as he pressed his face against Law's back after he'd lowered his head. "It seems like Doffy's still determined to make my life miserable." And the blond felt that since Doflamingo hadn't been able to coerce him into doing what he wanted, that he was now going to go after Law.

And there was only so much that Rocinante could do without directly confronting his brother on the matter. Doflamingo's last warning had stayed with him. Rocinante literally couldn't do anything without the possibility of Law being harmed in the process, or even killed. And it was the same whether he went himself or sent other officers. The blond haired officer did not want to lose Law from being careless. So Rocinante effectively had his hands tied, and if Law couldn't avoid or deny Doflamingo what he wanted, then his brother would blackmail the surgeon to get what he wanted. And Rocinante had the uneasy feeling that he knew exactly what Doflamingo would resort to if it came to that. Rocinante knew that if he was correct that he would have to be very careful and so would Law's roommates.

As Rocinante attempted to reassure Law, the blond haired officer honestly saw no easy way out of the predicament without someone getting hurt in the process.


	53. Chapter 53

Law had hoped that everything would go back to normal despite the fact that he'd received a text from Doflamingo a day after he'd spoken to the man over the phone. It had been a different phone number that the surgeon was supposed to call when he was ready. Law knew that it would do no good to show Rocinante, because it would likely only upset the blond haired officer. And Law was fairly certain that Rocinante couldn't do anything about it anyway, because Doflamingo hadn't exactly left any incriminating evidence in the text itself. Instead, it merely seemed as if Doflamingo wanted to chat.

The dark haired surgeon knew better by now, but he refused to give Doflamingo a call because he had no desire to be coerced into doing anything illegal.

Doflamingo, it seemed, did not like to be brushed off, and appeared determined to make Law call him of his own free will.

-x-

The following weeks were increasingly stressful due to mysterious things happening to everyone but Law himself. And that made the dark haired surgeon know that all the things that were happening were no coincidence, but were in fact Doflamingo's attempts to break him down.

The first clue that tipped Law that it was Doflamingo's doing was when Shachi had been arrested for trespassing on government property. Law had heard of the arrest only because his red haired roommate had used his phone call to contact him from the jail. Law had immediately posted bail for his friend, because Rocinante had told him what Shachi had done. The dark haired surgeon felt grateful that the red head had gone and with Kidd's help managed to get the handcuffs. The handcuffs that had led to ridding the poison that had been in the surgeon's system. Shachi had been put under house arrest for the time being, and Law was actually relieved; it meant nothing more could be done to Shachi.

Rocinante and Penguin were not as fortune.

Penguin began to become involved in more scuffles when he went to and from work. It was clear that each run-in was taking its toll on Penguin, despite the man saying nothing of the fights. But Law sure as hell had seen some of the injuries, because he'd been insistent on treating his roommate himself. And what the surgeon saw, he didn't like.

Rocinante, meanwhile, found himself getting into more accidents on the job, and Law most certainly made sure that he saw to every injury that Rocinante received, minor or not. And it wasn't just those he lived with that were mysteriously injured.

Law had heard from Jean Bart that Bepo had broken a leg, and a few other acquaintances turned up with minor injuries. Law tried to handle it all, but found that he couldn't stand the people he cared about being hurt, so the dark haired surgeon did what he didn't think he would ever willingly do.

He called Doflamingo.

Law had decided to make the call after Penguin had returned home that very evening. His roommate had been wincing and was clearly in pain, though he did or said nothing of it. Penguin had merely gotten some ice and went into the living room with Shachi, where he'd struck up a quiet conversation. The surgeon dialed the number, in his own in his room as he waited for Rocinante to come home. As soon as the other line was picked up, Law spoke bluntly. "Leave Cora and my friends alone."

_'Fufufu. I might consider doing that, if you do something for me in return.' Doflamingo sounded unsurprised to hear from Law, as if he'd been waiting for the call._

Law hesitated. "I am not going to end up like that other doctor who was arrested for malpractice." The dark haired surgeon couldn't stand to think what that would do to Rocinante, and his roommates, for that matter.

_'It wouldn't be like that, per say.'_ Doflamingo sounded amused. _'Unfortunately, the hospital would now know what to look for since that little incident has been brought to light. So what I would want you to do wouldn't take place at the hospital. It would be in different areas of the city where I would provide specific instructions of how to get there.'_

Law did not like the sound of that in the least bit, nor the turn this conversation had taken.

_'I find myself in need of someone who can...take care of disposing people who are no longer of use to me in a different way than has been done thus far. It's been far too messy as of late and the cops have started to pick up on it.'_ Doflamingo's smile could be heard in his voice. _'Therefore, I have need of your assistance in administering drugs to those people to make it appear more like they've natural deaths, to lead the police off my trail for a time.'_

"Absolutely not." Law said instantly. He would not kill people, because the whole point of him becoming a doctor, a surgeon, was because he wanted to prevent others from dying. "It would be obvious in any case if medical drugs went missing in the hospital."

_'There would be a surplus of some of those drugs, and I would make sure that some of them would be unaccounted for, so it wouldn't be a problem. No one would notice.'_ Doflamingo said, as if he'd known that Law would bring that up.

"I am not going to jeopardize my career by doing something that is clearly illegal." The dark haired surgeon said grimly.

_'Either you will assist me or I will see to it that your friends and my brother continue having little accidents until they end up in prison or dead.'_ Doflamingo returned smoothly. Law was torn. He knew that Doflamingo would do what he said, because the man had been doing it already.

The dark haired surgeon felt as if he had been backed into a corner, and he didn't like it one bit. Doflamingo's next statement made Law begin to cave further.

_'If you were curious where Roci is, I have him with me right now. I will only let him go home with you if you agree to do as I say. But I won't let him leave just on your word. I think I'll wait to hand him over until you show up at the first place I tell you.' Doflamingo rattled off the address, the date and the drug he wanted the surgeon to bring._ _'If you don't show up, you'll find that my brother won't exactly be in the best of states when you do choose to appear.'_

Law heard the phone hang up, but could only felt dread settle in. He didn't have a choice then. If Rocinante hadn't been with Doflamingo he could have contacted the police. Law felt that if he attempted to do so now, some people might be caught, but Rocinante could be hurt badly or killed in the process. Law took a breath and let it out. Just as the surgeon tried to convince himself that Doflamingo was bluffing, he received a text message.

Hesitantly, the dark haired surgeon checked the phone. Law felt his stomach drop and his breath catch as soon as he realized just what it was he was looking at.

The photo was a rather grainy image of Rocinante, and the blond haired officer appeared to be bound and tied a chair, as well as blindfolded and gagged. Another text message followed with another picture, this one with Doflamingo in it as well, presumably to show that the previous image was genuine. Law felt himself cave in completely at the line of text that came in below the pictures.

_Think very carefully before you decide what to do._

Law didn't need that text to know that. He'd already made up his mind as soon as he had seen the first picture with Rocinante in it. The dark haired surgeon could only hope that Rocinante would forgive him for what he was going to do to ensure his safety. And that Law could actually find it in himself to go through with something that was entirely against his ethics as a surgeon.

But Rocinante was important to him, so Law believed that he would be able to do what needed to be done to protect him, as the blond haired officer had done for him before.

-x-

Rocinante couldn't believe that Doflamingo had driven Law into a corner like that.

The blond haired officer couldn't help but feel grief over the fact that he knew that Law would do as Doflamingo had asked of him. Because the dark haired surgeon would want to make sure that he was safe. That Rocinante wasn't injured while in his brother's clutches. The blond haired officer let out a muffled, self-deprecating laugh. He wouldn't have thought that he would ever be in this position, but Rocinante really felt that he should have known better.

Because Doflamingo had done exactly the same thing to Law not too very long ago.

Clearly Doflamingo felt that the lesson hadn't sunk in, so now his older brother was resorting to more underhanded tactics. Doflamingo was even going to involve Law in something illegal that would have put Rocinante in the position to arrest everyone involved.

Only…

Only Rocinante knew that he wouldn't be able to arrest all involved. Especially if Law followed through on the call that Doflamingo had just made to the surgeon. And it made Rocinante feel very conflicted, because he knew that he would not be able to arrest Law, even if the dark haired surgeon happened to bring the drugs and assisted in what amounted to murder.

Because Rocinante knew that Law was only doing it to protect him; not because he wanted to.

The blond haired officer heard Doflamingo laughing eerily nearby, and it made his skin crawl. Rocinante couldn't believe he'd been so careless as to let his guard down on the way home from work. Should have known that the moment his brother had shown himself that he should not have agreed to go and exchange pleasantries in a store. But Rocinante had very much wanted to be able to get some info on what Doflamingo was up to, and his brother had appeared to have been alone. Plus, there were a lot of people in the store that would see if something fishy was happening.

Rocinante had been very wrong.

Doflamingo was incredibly devious and made full use of his clumsiness.

Rocinante hadn't seen what hit him until he'd practically knocked himself out on some low hanging sign in a darkened area of the store that had experienced a brief blackout. Rocinante hadn't realized that Doflamingo had had someone with him after all, and they'd drugged him with something during that more than likely planned power outage. And then there was nothing Rocinante could do once the power was back on but hang onto his brother, nearly unconscious, as Doflamingo causally led him out of the store. With the excuse that his brother had tripped and taken a fall.

Which the blond haired officer had, in a way.

Rocinante was rather glad he couldn't see Doflamingo's expression then. It probably would have been too cheerful after what he'd pulled.

One thing led to another and then Rocinante was aware. Not that it did him much good being blindfolded and gagged and restrained with rope, from the feel of it. Rocinante fruitlessly tugged at the rope around his wrists, but the rope held firm, keeping his arms lashed behind the chair. Oddly enough, his legs weren't tied, but it wouldn't do him any good. At most he'd make a fool of himself falling over onto his face.

Another troubling thought entered Rocinante's mind as he heard footsteps begin to approach him. Would Doflamingo actually let him go? Because his brother would know that he would be well within his rights to immediately arrest him, but Law…

Rocinante sucked in a breath as best he could from around the gag. Of course. Law. If the dark haired surgeon was there, then Doflamingo would have leverage if he tried to do anything. Regardless of whether the surgeon would be useful to him or not. Rocinante bit the gag hard, tears forming at the corner of his eyes. It wasn't fair. He and some of the other officers at the police station had been so close to closing in on Doflamingo and his illegal games. But it seemed that his brother held the upper hand. For now. Rocinante stilled as a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"You really shouldn't have had those other officers looking so closely at my day to day activities. Nor should you have let them zero in on that doctor that was then accused of malpractice before his…unfortunate demise." Doflamingo's voice became light. Playful, almost. "And if Law follows through on what I have asked him to do, will you arrest him? After all, what I am going to have him do for me would constitute as murder. Or are you going to let it slide because you know that he is only doing it to protect you?"

Rocinante couldn't speak because of the gag, but the officer felt unnerved that Doflamingo had voiced aloud what he'd been thinking about. And Doflamingo was right. Rocinante more likely than not would be unable to arrest Law, even if it went against what he'd been taught.

The hours slipped by, but the time still felt impossibly long to Rocinante.

And then it happened.

"Fufufufu. Hello, Law. Good of you to show up, and luckily right on time. Well, lucky for my brother, anyway." Doflamingo's tone became curious. "Do you have what I asked you to bring?"

"Yes."

Rocinante hated how subdued the dark haired surgeon sounded, and his heart broke a little at Law's next words, because it drove home the fact of exactly why the surgeon had shown up.

"You will leave Cora and my friends alone."

Doflamingo tsked. "I will, so long as you follow through with what we've discussed."

Rocinante wanted to tell Law not to do it. To please not do it. But Rocinante knew that it was useless. And the blond haired officer knew what he must have looked like, and it probably factored into Law's decision when he came to help him. And that the surgeon would do what he had to, to protect him and his friends. It hurt Rocinante to think about what this could do to Law's reputation and his life, and Rocinante knew that if things ever got out, that he would go against what he, as an officer, was supposed to do with murderers of any kind.

Rocinante began to have half wild ideas of going into hiding with Law, his job be damned, because Law was more important to him than his work. And Law's roommates would be in the clear, and the dark haired surgeon could probably figure out how to have them keep the house and-

"I suppose that that will do." Doflamingo said suddenly with an approving hum. "I'll let you know when I need you again." Doflamingo's laugh receded, indicating that he was leaving, and Rocinante thought for a moment that his brother was going to leave him there all alone. And then someone began to untie the blindfold and then the gag. Rocinante caught sight of Law as the surgeon moved behind him to begin to unknot the rope around his wrists. Rocinante's jaw was sore, but he felt that he needed to say something into the uncomfortable silence.

_Anything._

"I'm so sorry, Law." Rocinante choked on his words, feeling very emotional in that moment as the gravity of the situation hit him. Rocinante felt his arms freed, and gratefully stretched them out as Law came back around to the front of the chair. Rocinante didn't even have time to reach out for Law because the surgeon was suddenly half on his lap with his arms wrapped tightly around his neck, face buried against the crook of his neck. The blond haired officer wrapped his arms around Law's back to hold the surgeon comfortingly, and his gaze slipped past the top of Law's head to a still body that was on the ground nearby.

"Cora?" Law's voice was barely a whisper.

"Let's go home." Rocinante said softly in response as he brushed his lips against the top of Law's head.

The surgeon merely tightened his grip and refused to move for several minutes.

Rocinante led Law out of the abandoned building they had been in soon after, but the blond haired officer couldn't help but have a very bad feeling about all this. And felt completely helpless because Rocinante had no idea what to do. And from the way that Law pressed up against him as they walked home in the dead of night, the surgeon didn't either.

-x-

Over the course of six months, rumors began to spread throughout the city about a mysterious figure who could appear anywhere, and left dead bodies in their wake.

The police and the detectives assisting with the investigation found that with each new case, something disquieting began to take shape. The bodies had at first seemed to have died from natural causes, but then, perhaps two months into finding these bodies, other bodies began to turn up with some of their organs missing. The police puzzled over this, because it appeared to have been done with surgical precision. Everyone soon came to the agreement that no amateur was behind these surgeries. And added to that, all of the organs appeared to have been removed post-mortem, although it couldn't be said for sure without autopsies to find out the time of death.

Because of the surgical precision that went along with the crime, a name began to circulate around the stations in different areas of the city. And then, it got out into the public one evening in the third month of the investigation. An officer mentioned to another if they thought it was the same individual from before regarding another body with missing organs. A reporter had gotten wind of it, and the name was then attached to the murders by the media as the death toll slowly but surely went up.

The Surgeon of Death.

The individual in question was not pleased with the worrying turn of events.

 


	54. Chapter 54

Law's nerves were frayed with every passing day over the possibility that he may be caught in the act of assisting Doflamingo. That he was the Surgeon of Death that everyone in the city was whispering about. He heard his colleagues speaking about the ongoing case over their breaks, and the scorn and horror over the acts that Law was committing made the dark haired man feel worse about the whole matter. It had been bad enough to administer drugs in the first place to cause death to those Doflamingo told him to, but it was more worrying what Law had been up to more recently.

The organ stealing had been something that had disgusted Law, but one suggestion from Doflamingo about something happening to Rocinante, and the surgeon felt he had no choice. With every meeting with Doflamingo and his associates, the more it wore on Law. The surgeon even knew that what he was being forced to do had begun to take a toll on those who lived with him.

Shachi was upset over what was going on, and in general was not very happy. The red head was still under house arrest and therefore felt that there was nothing that he could do to help Law.

Penguin insisted on going to work as he normally did, despite the possibility that Doflamingo might go back on his word and try something like having him attacked again. Nothing had happened, but the dark haired surgeon would occasionally get concerned when his roommate didn't get home around the time he thought he ought to. Penguin had a hard time convincing him that things were as normal as they could be, and ended up texting Law eventually whenever he had to work late so he didn't return home to a high strung Law.

And Rocinante…

Rocinante was doing his best to get through each day. Law knew that the blond haired man was having trouble, and it was likely because of where he worked. As a police officer, he probably heard a lot about the case that Law was involved in, and refused to say anything out of fear of Law taking the fall and not Doflamingo.

And Law also knew that his illegal activities he was forced to take part in were wearing on Rocinante as well as himself. And Law had noticed it because as soon as Rocinante came home each day, it was to immediately go to him. The surgeon was always given love and reassurance in the form of Rocinante hugging him and kissing him lightly and otherwise doing his best to stay in Law's presence at all times when he otherwise wasn't working. And Law knew that it was because he had become more withdrawn and stressed out over what he was doing when he wasn't at home or the hospital. Law ran the back of his hand roughly over his eyelids and sighed. And the most disconcerting thing was that lately, the images of the dead had begun to haunt him in his sleep. The disruption to his sleeping pattern began to negatively affect his health.

Unless Rocinante was around to hug him to his chest and whisper to him in a comforting way until Law was able to drift off into an uneasy slumber. It helped, when the blond haired officer was around, but it didn't change the fact that Law was slowly losing sleep and his nerves were shot at the idea of someone catching him in assisting to kill and remove, on occasion, organs. It made him sick to his stomach the first time Doflamingo had proposed it, but he'd been further blackmailed into doing as Doflamingo asked. It was unnerving, the amount of power the man wielded in certain areas of the city. The fact was made clear when Doflamingo had been able to provide surgical tools and other amenities at the drop of a hat in a van to make the removal of the organs possible outside of the hospital.

Law despised what was happening. Resented the fact that Doflamingo was manipulating him into compliance through threatening Rocinante, and on occasion, Shachi and Penguin. And the worst thing about it was there was absolutely nothing Law could do to stop it.

-x-

Rocinante heard a disconcerting conversation two weeks later, after the media began working themselves into a frenzy over the mysterious killer in the city. The blond haired man been in the office doing some paperwork, and had overheard some of his fellow officers speaking about the Surgeon of Death case. Rocinante had tuned in and found, to his distress, that they wondered if Law had been brought in for questioning at all. Rocinante had damn near dropped his paperwork and fallen out of his seat when the other officer thought that it wasn't possible. Because the blond haired officer would have noticed if something that nefarious was going on. The other officer had relaxed and laughed. And had said that he supposed they were with each other all the time based on the party when Rocinante had gone off to be with Law.

Rocinante was not at all reassured, even if his coworkers were joking around that it would be absurd for Law to be the Surgeon of Death without the blond knowing it. Rocinante was sick to his stomach the rest of the day until he was able to leave for home, and questioned Shachi the moment he entered the house and didn't see the dark haired surgeon there waiting for him.

"Law?" Rocinante asked as he glanced around the living room with a worried expression.

"He went in to the police station for questioning." The red head said without any more prompting. "He's supposed to be back soon."

Before Rocinante could become properly worried, Law returned home, and appeared to be absolutely exhausted. And the surgeon did nothing more than pass by the blond and his roommate as he headed immediately in the direction of his and Rocinante's bedroom. Rocinante followed him, concerned, and watched as the dark haired surgeon merely curled up into a ball on the bed. Rocinante slowly settled down on the bed and tried to hug Law, but the surgeon wriggled away. Rocinante didn't try and push him, and instead rested on the other side of the bed in an attempt to try and fall asleep as well.

The next morning, Rocinante awoke to Law pressed tightly against his side, and it was obvious that the surgeon was seeking comfort. The blond silently wrapped Law in a hug, but couldn't bring himself to say anything. Because there wasn't anything that he could say to make things all right. To make them better for the surgeon. Rocinante wanted to tell Law that everything would be all right, but he couldn't, because Rocinante didn't know when and if it would be.

-x-

Doflamingo gave Law a 'break' from what he'd been having him do around the time winter began. The rumors regarding the Surgeon of Death still circulated after nine months, even if no one had yet turned up dead as soon as Doflamingo had given Law that break.

It was one of these mornings, a week or so later, that Rocinante woke up to Law giving him a feather light kiss on the nose. It made the blond feel warm and fluttery on the inside, even though the surgeon had to have known that he was incredibly stressed out and anxious over a case he'd just finished. Rocinante felt incredibly guilty that he was the one who had to be comforted, which he believed was what the surgeon had just done with the kiss he'd given him.

"What's with that look?" Law asked, offering a very rare, genuine smile.

Rocinante knew that smile, even if it didn't appear very often and recognized it as one that Law tended to reserve for him and him alone. It made the blond feel stupidly happy and he couldn't help but slide closer to Law to kiss him on the cheek.

"I thought that you'd be glad the case you'd been working on was over with." Law said as he moved closer to allow Rocinante to more easily kiss him again on the cheek. "Or were you still working it?"

"No, it's done with." Something came over Rocinante with the way that Law seemed to be ignoring the fact that he'd assisted in killing at least fifty or more people for Doflamingo over the past nine months. To protect him. To protect his friends. Despite the fact that it had to go against Law's instincts as a surgeon. Rocinante teared up at the mere thought of Law having to go through that, thinking nothing of himself and the similar situation he found himself in as an officer.

"I'm so happy to have you in my life." Rocinante said after a long pause before he reached out and gathered Law into his arms. "I don't know what I would have done with myself if we hadn't met." Other than likely get himself killed in an attempt to stop his brother from all that he was doing. Doflamingo's actions seemed to be getting increasingly more devious and violent over the years, and Rocinante was sure he would have made some foolish mistake eventually had he not run into Law and found something to devote his time to.

"Cora?" The surgeon didn't miss the fact that Rocinante's voice had become emotionally distraught, and subconsciously wrapped his arms around the blond's back. "What's wrong?"

Rocinante couldn't help but let out a broken little laugh at the surgeon's words. To have Law think about him when he already had so many problems of his own made him tear up further. "I've just been thinking lately that I'm lucky to have you, but don't think that I…" Rocinante still didn't think he deserved Law, and couldn't help but feel that if he hadn't gone out with the surgeon, Doflamingo would have left him alone, and Law wouldn't be in so much trouble should the police ever discover that he was the Surgeon of Death. Rocinante started to cry as he snuggled closer to Law on the bed. "I love you so much."

"Then why are you crying like that?" Law asked, before he added, in a firmer tone. "And stop thinking that I am going to leave you. Or that you don't think you deserve to be...happy. I am not going anywhere. And what your brother is doing...it isn't your fault." The surgeon let out a sigh. "Besides, I am the one who agreed to his terms. If it keeps all of you safe, I will continue to do so, no matter the consequences. It bothered me at first, but..." Law looked away. "The thought of any of you dying, especially you, Cora...it helps me get through the more difficult days."

"I'm crying because you can do that and still love me anyway." Rocinante sniffed as he reached up and rested a hand against one side of the surgeon's head to smile at him. "I know you aren't going to leave me." Rocinante's eyes closed briefly as Law's hands went from behind his back to move up and settle into his hair. The blond moved a hand up to rest over one of the surgeon's. "There's…something I wanted to tell you." And he had, because ever since Law was doing as Doflamingo asked, Rocinante's thoughts had drifted to his mother and what she might think about all that was going on. And how Rocinante couldn't bring himself to have his and Doflamingo's mother see either of them yet.

"Cora?"

Rocinante opened his eyes to peek at Law hesitantly. "I know you don't like being lied to…" The blond haired officer felt Law's hands still and pushed on before the surgeon could think to interrupt him. "But what about a white lie?"

Law frowned a little bit. "I guess it depends what exactly it was about."

Rocinante freed himself from Law's grip on his hair and hugged the surgeon loosely. "Do you remember…when I said I lost my parents as well?"

"…yes." Law didn't sound like he knew where this was going exactly. Or at least, it wasn't what he'd been expecting Rocinante to bring up.

"My father is dead. That much was true. But my mother…she isn't." Rocinante rested his chin on top of Law's head as he let out a sorrowful sigh. "But she thinks that my brother and I are dead. And has been made to believe it for over 20 years." Rocinante couldn't help but start to cry again, and that hadn't been his intention. And he spent the remainder of the evening being reassured by Law that the surgeon wasn't mad at him for withholding the information because of how painful it must have been to do so. And then Law surprised the blond.

"You should go see her." Law said, his face now buried against Rocinante's chest. "It isn't fair for her to think her children are dead." The surgeon seemed to be thinking about his own family, all of whom were dead. But Law didn't say anything of it.

Rocinante ended up crying some more as he clung to Law. The blond would have loved to go and visit his mother. But Rocinante couldn't bring himself to go. It didn't seem right for just him to see his mother if Doflamingo couldn't see her as well. By the time Rocinante dozed off, he had missed the look on Law's face that made it clear that the surgeon was thinking hard about something.

-x-

Law spent the next day doing some research and even going to Rocinante's workplace to talk to some of the officers to get some answers out of them. And when he indicated why he was asking certain questions, the officers who knew Rocinante well were much more inclined to get Law the information he was looking at.

It appeared as if they too believed that Rocinante should have visited his mother sooner, from what they told the surgeon.

Law was deeply amused to be able to get a week off for Rocinante starting the very next day, and knew that he would be able to get another surgeon to fill in for him on the more serious cases. Because Law felt the best way to cheer Rocinante up was to get them both out of the city, and away from Doflamingo's presence that loomed in the back of their minds.

And if they happened to visit a quiet cottage while staying up in the countryside, all would be well for that week. Law just had to tell Rocinante about the impromptu trip without the blond breaking down and squeezing the life out of him. Especially when Rocinante found out that it would just be the two of them, and Law's roommates would remain behind to watch the house.

-x-

Rocinante was confused when Law stopped him from getting ready for work the next day. The blond was further confused yet very pleased that the surgeon hugged him in order to accomplish this.

"Law?" The blond haired officer asked, even if he was reluctant to pry the surgeon's arms away from him. "I need to go to work."

"No you don't." Law said, his voice matter of fact as he leaned away and looked Rocinante in the eyes. "You need to pack."

"Pack?" Rocinante looked utterly lost. "What for?"

"We're going to go on a trip." Law said, as if it were the obvious answer as he let go of Rocinante. The surgeon got onto the floor and began to pack a suitcase that appeared to have come out of nowhere.

"Trip?" Rocinante perked up as he propped himself up on his forearms. He was now more happy than confused. "A trip, with you?"

"Yes." Law said as he reached under the bed. "Is your suitcase underneath the bed as well?"

"Are your roommates coming?" Rocinante wouldn't be surprised, before he remembered that Shachi was still under house arrest s part of a deal.

"No, they aren't. It will be just the two of us." Law said as he reached under the bed.

"When?" Rocinante questioned as he slid closer to the edge of the bed, hardly daring to breathe lest he mishear the words coming out of Law's mouth. "For how long?"

"Today. For a week. I've already talked to your workplace and your coworkers agreed that you should take some time off. And you have enough vacation to have more days off. But we could make use of those days another time." Law rummaged around some more. "Did you put some of your clothes under the bed? I can't remember."

"Law." Rocinante's voice cracked on the surgeon's name as he reached out and settled his hands in Law's hair. And urged the dark haired man up in order to kiss him. Law let out a gasp as the kiss deepened and Rocinante was so happy that he ended up pitching over and onto the surgeon after the kiss had ended. Rocinante wasn't inclined to move from where he had unintentionally pinned Law on the ground as he began to kiss Law all over. "I will go wherever you want to go. I just want to be with you."

-x-

Law was glad that the idea of going on a trip together made Rocinante so very happy, but chose to not show that he was so relieved. Even if he did indulge in the kiss that the blond haired man drew him in to, and it showed the surgeon just how thrilled Rocinante was at that point in time. It had been the right decision, Law decided, to get the whole week off for the both of them in order to enjoy some quiet time with Rocinante that they hadn't been able to have as of late.

For obvious reasons that involved a certain pink wearing, manipulative bastard.

Law was still appalled that Rocinante was even related to Doflamingo based on how different the two brothers were from one another.

Rocinante continued to kiss Law enthusiastically in the meantime, the 'I love you's' back in full force. The blond haired officer was clearly thrilled over the idea to go somewhere out of their house so that they wouldn't have to worry over being interrupted by Law's roommates.

"We're going to go to the countryside." Law was a little nervous at the thought, but decided that it had been awhile since he and Rocinante had been alone together. But the surgeon found that he wanted that. To be alone with Rocinante, and made the mistake of saying so aloud. "There's a lodge there that I rented, and no one else will be staying in that lodge but us. Because I want to be able to alone with you, Cora." The surgeon didn't stop to think how romantic his words likely came across to the blond. "We haven't really been able to spend any time together since I've been..." Law trailed off, unable to continue. But he didn't need to.

Rocinante wordlessly pressed his face against Law's nearest shoulder, and appeared to be too overcome by the admission to say anything in return.


	55. Chapter 55

Rocinante was beside himself with happiness as he began the process of packing for the trip. But the blond haired officer was having a difficult time concentrating on the task at hand because he was distracted by the idea of being able to have Law all to himself for a whole entire week. Rocinante had damn near cried over the fact that this would mean that there would be no interruptions from work or from the surgeon's roommates.

Or from Doflamingo, for that matter.

"Cora." Law's voice seemed far away.

The blond haired officer wondered if Law had any plans other than getting the lodge, and if there was anywhere to get groceries near where they would be staying. Because it sounded as if the surgeon was going to make use of his cooking skills. Rocinante clutched one of his sweaters to his chest as he thought about it. He loved Law's cooking and figured he could tease the surgeon about how at the very least he would be eating regular meals with him while on vacation.

"Cora. Did you hear me?" The surgeon's voice appeared to be closer, but still had no effect. Rocinante was too far gone in his mind at the moment to be brought back to the present easily.

Rocinante absently began to tug at a piece of thread that had come loose from the sweater. He would get to be all alone with Law in a bedroom in the lodge. And he could cuddle with Law all he wanted. It was nice to know that he and the dark haired surgeon would be the only ones in the lodge but it was also something Rocinante dreaded a bit because he would be all alone with Law. And things would likely become very tempting after-

A soft sigh cut into Rocinante's vague musings.

Rocinante started, his mindless fraying of the sweater halted as Law was suddenly there, crouched in front of him with his hands on either side of his cheeks.

"Now that I have your attention..." Law let go as soon as he had made eye contact to grip the blond haired officer's chin. As gently as he could, the surgeon turned Rocinante's head toward an empty suitcase. "We aren't going to be leaving until you're packed." Law turned Rocinante's head the other way to a pile of clothes strewn on the bed. "So take those..." Law smirked as he turned the blond's head back to the suitcase. "...and put them in there."

Rocinante reached up and freed his jaw before he scooted across the floor and closer to the surgeon. "You're distracting me." Rocinante said with a smile.

"And how am I doing that?" Law asked as he leaned away to drop a pattered pair of boxers into his suitcase. "I'm just trying to get you to focus on the task at hand. Leave thinking about me for another time." The surgeon tossed another pair of boxers at the blond. "And don't even try to deny that wasn't what you were thinking about. I saw it written all over your face." Law suddenly fell silent and busied himself with fussily folding his clothes and settling them in his own suitcase.

Rocinante didn't answer. He just smiled at the way that Law was clearly flustered, and flopped over and onto the surgeon. Rocinante took the dark haired man down to the ground where he took the opportunity to kiss him lightly on the nose. And then decided to speak after all. "And you know that I am thinking about you now because you've made me very happy?"

"I can see that." Law reached up to ruffle the messy blond hair above him. "But now you're the one who is being distracting, Cora."

"I suppose." Rocinante admitted after a moment, and with a sigh got up and began to pack. But his thoughts soon began to drift again, and the surgeon was forced to refocus his attention once more on the half packed suitcase. It remained half packed as Rocinante decided to shower Law with love and affection because the dark haired surgeon had taken to touching him and moving his head this way and that. Rocinante's hands gripped Law's wrists in retaliation as he kissed the surgeon between ear and jaw, eliciting a funny noise in the back of Law's throat and-

"Oops, sorry. I thought you'd be ready to go by now." Shachi said with a grin as he leaned against the doorway. "But I guess it works out 'cause I asked Penguin to get something while he was out and I was going to give it to you guys if you hadn't left yet. I figured that you two would be too distracted by each other..." The red head broke off to smirk mischievously at how Rocinante pointedly pinned Law on the ground to prevent the surgeon from rising. "...so I figured that you wouldn't have remembered to go to the store or at least Rocinante wouldn't have, so here." Shachi dropped a small paper bag onto Law's nearly packed suitcase. "Have fun on your trip!" The red head made his escape before the dark haired surgeon could find the words to tell him off.

"What is it?" Law questioned after the blond haired officer had reached over to pick up the paper bag to peruse its contents.

Rocinante saw what it was, blushed, and promptly hid the bag within the contents of his own suitcase.

"Cora?"

"I'll tell you later." Rocinante said. He was embarrassed to admit aloud that since he had been so lovey-dovey with Law for the past two or so hours he would have completely forgotten to bring along certain...items, which Shachi had thoughtfully gone and gotten. Or rather, had gotten Penguin to go and get. That would have put a bit of a damper on things, depending on how things went and if he and Law happened to go any further in their...physical intimacy with one another than they had thus far.

Though the blond haired officer was going to question Shachi when he returned as to how the red head knew what size condom to get. That was mortifying enough all on its own without the addition of the other items, and Rocinante was sufficiently focused at that point in time to prevent Law from getting overly curious about the paper bag.

By kissing Law full on the lips and slipping some tongue into the kiss.

 While Law recovered from the breath-defying kiss, Rocinante had somewhat guiltily latched his suitcase shut. But he was only preventing Law's discovery of the items until Rocinante knew for certain whether or not the dark haired surgeon was interested in doing anything with him one of the nights they were away.

Until then, Rocinante would keep the dirty little secret to himself.

-x-

It was almost too good to be true that they were really going to go on this trip.

Rocinante slowly encroached further and further into Law's personal space as they rode the train out into the countryside until the city itself was merely a speck in the distance.

Law appeared to enjoy the ride to their destination only because they were at the back of the train, and therefore allowed Rocinante to hold his hand. The surgeon was a little disgruntled that the blond haired officer had dozed off when he'd been talking to him. But Law supposed he couldn't blame the blond for falling asleep. Because both of them had been having a very trying nine months with Doflamingo getting him to help him and Rocinante having to deal with other cases. The dark haired surgeon felt Rocinante's head loll against his shoulder with a soft sigh.

Law looked out the window and merely held on to Rocinante's hand more tightly. He couldn't find it in himself to wake the other man up.

When they arrived at their destination three hours later, however, Law gently woke Rocinante. "Wake up, Cora." The surgeon reached up with a hand to ruffle the blond's hair. "We're there." The surgeon heard Rocinante murmur something before the blond lifted his head away from the surgeon's shoulder and stretched. Law sucked in a sharp breath when Rocinante faced him with a dazzling smile.

Law smiled a little uncertainly in return. Now that they were at their destination, he was beginning to realize that he really would be all alone with Rocinante. Not that that would be a bad thing, but he wasn't sure how Rocinante would react to the other reason that Law had insisted on the trip. That he'd wait until the next day to bring up. The surgeon realized that the blond haired officer now wore a concerned look, and it made Law realize that he'd let the other see his uncertainty. So Law covered it up with a smirk. "You fell asleep very soundly right in the middle of talking to me." Law said. "Are you awake enough to get off the train?"

"...yes, I am." Rocinante pecked Law on the cheek sleepily, but rose from his seat to reach overhead to retrieve their luggage.

Law was forced to dive backward out of the way as suitcases came tumbling down, and struck Rocinante, which caused him to fall over and onto Law. The surgeon merely reached up and patted the messy blond hair in front of him. "I'll get the luggage. You go on ahead."

Rocinante murmured a quiet apology, but did as the surgeon asked.

Law carefully righted the luggage and rolled it out and off of the train. After he made sure that everything was there and accounted for, the dark haired surgeon looked around for Rocinante, and couldn't help but shake his head wordlessly at the sight.

Rocinante had somehow set himself on fire again as he smoked a cigarette.

Law couldn't help but feel something in his chest when Rocinante offered an embarrassed smile after he'd batted the flames out. It had been awhile since the dark haired man had had the feeling, and the surgeon still wasn't always sure what to do with it.

Love.

Rocinante, shoulder still smoldering, silently retrieved his own suitcase. The blond appeared be self-conscious about Law witnessing him catching fire. But as soon as Rocinante took a step, he promptly tripped over a small hole in the ground and fell over. The blond's long legs stuck straight up in the air for a moment before Rocinante settled on his back and let his legs drop to the ground with a sigh. The blond haired officer gave Law a furtive glance, as if concerned what he would think about what just happened.

The dark haired surgeon merely assisted Rocinante in getting back up without a word. But as they began to walk down the slightly dusty path with their luggage in tow, the blond discreetly slipped his hand into Law's and the surgeon couldn't help but hold Rocinante's hand a little more tightly in return. Law didn't let go of the blond's hand the entire way to the lodge, and the gesture reminded the dark haired man of just how much he was in love with the clumsy man beside him.


	56. Chapter 56

Rocinante stood outside the lodge, and glanced over at Law. When he saw that the surgeon was carefully avoiding eye contact, likely because they were still holding hands, Rocinante took the opportunity to scan the wooded area nearby. It was behind and partially to the side of the building. "I thought this was supposed to be out in the countryside?"

"It is. I just wanted somewhere quieter to be with you." Law indicated the way they'd walked from. "If we go that way about a half mile and take a right, instead of a left, there's a small town and a medical center."

"I hope you aren't thinking of working." Rocinante said, concerned. He'd even turned to face the surgeon at his words. "I want you all to myself."

"I…won't work. I'm sure there are enough people even in a quiet place such as this." Law said off handedly, even if his words came out a bit more quickly. The surgeon reached out and gripped the doorknob of the lodge with his free hand.

Rocinante smiled over the fact that Law had not yet let go of his hand. And the blond smiled more warmly when he realized that the door was locked. Rocinante stepped closer to Law as the blond freed his hand. "Did someone forget something?"

"The key." Law said in a rather deadpan sort of way.

Rocinante saw those golden eyes peek up at him before their focus went back onto the door as if it had offended him for not just opening. The blond haired officer couldn't help but reach out to cup Law's cheeks to kiss him. And was quietly thrilled that the dark haired man leaned up to meet him. Rocinante wasn't sure how long they stood in front of the locked door but soon Law drew away with an aloof, faintly irked expression. The blond worried it might have been his fault, at least until the surgeon spoke and banished the thought.

"I guess I will have to go to town to get that key." Law said after a moment. The surgeon waved a hand at their suitcases. "We can leave these out here. There's no one around that we'd have to worry about that might take them." Rocinante started to follow along after Law, when the surgeon startled him by halting suddenly in his tracks.

The blond managed to not fall over onto his rump, which he might have done had Law not minded that he'd partially fallen over onto him. Rocinante held still as he felt Law ruffle his hair lightly.

"Stay here, Cora. I don't want you to fall over again, and there were some dips in the road in town when I came to look into things before."

Rocinante may have argued the point until it was Law who was kissing him with that faint smirk.

"Why don't you go take a look at the backyard? I can meet you there once I have the key." Law retreated up the path they'd come down. "I'll be back soon."

Rocinante meandered around the side of the lodge, and immediately brightened upon seeing a gazebo with a small pond to the left of it, closer to the wooded area. The blond carefully settled on the ground next to the pond to watch the koi that were there swim back and forth. And closer to the side of the pond he was on, as if the blond had food to give them. Rocinante must have watched those koi for longer than he thought, because the blond was suddenly aware of a warm body as it collided with his back. Arms soon followed to wrap around his chest slightly, accompanied by Law's voice.

"I thought you would like it back here. It's...very peaceful and relaxing." The surgeon's voice was a whisper.

Rocinante wordlessly reached up to trail a hand along one of Law's arms. The blond haired officer actually loved it when Law would hold him in some way, whether it be a hug or grabbing a hold of one of his arms, even if their slight height difference made it awkward in some cases.

"Do you want to go inside?" Law asked, his chin on Rocinante's shoulder. "Or stay out here?"

"Stay out here for a little while longer." Rocinante responded, and felt a small burst of happiness when Law let go of him to instead to sit next to him. Rocinante quietly draped an arm over Law's shoulders, and beamed, ecstatic, when the surgeon snuggled closer up against his side. But the blond let out a surprised sound when Law suddenly began to use his left hand to trace along his thigh, and Rocinante wasn't sure what that was about. Though the blond was confused about where the surgeon had his hand, Rocinante was also happy that Law had chosen to press himself closer to his side.

"I've had some time to think things over these past nine months. But not about what your brother's been making me do." Law said after about a minute of mindlessly tracing his fingertips over the blond's thigh.

"What about?" Rocinante asked, though he just about jumped out of his skin when Law gave his thigh an absent squeeze.

"About you. About us. About how we've been together for nearly three years." Law sagged against Rocinante's side, his voice getting quieter. "And about how you've never pressured me into feeling like I had to have sex with you if I didn't want to..." The surgeon trialed off, before he seemed to get it in his head of just how close he was to Rocinante. Law hastily removed himself from the blond's touch as he got to his feet, golden eyes on the lodge. "Let's go inside. I have the key now."

Rocinante picked up on the faint trace of embarrassment in Law's voice, but didn't mind that the surgeon had moved away from him. The blond haired officer was just happy that Law was being honest. After all, they hadn't exactly taken much time to discuss their relationship as of late, so it was good to know anything about how Law felt, since Rocinante couldn't always tell. With one last look at the koi, Rocinante carefully rose and followed after Law to go back to the front door.

Law reached it first to unlock, and left the door open as he walked inside.

Rocinante felt that there was something a little off in the way that Law now acted, but couldn't put his finger on it. The surgeon was obviously distracted in some way, because he had forgotten his suitcase. With a small smile that Law was likely being scatter minded because of him, Rocinante gathered their luggage and brought it just inside the small front entryway. The blond haired officer heard Law pass by him to close and lock the door, and thought nothing of it as he settled the luggage on the floor. "Where should I put our suitcases?" Rocinante asked, but the thought fled his mind as Law walked up to him, leaned up on tiptoe and kissed him.

Rocinante really liked these kisses that Law had been giving him ever since they'd been all alone that day. It made the blond feel like he really did have Law's attention focused on him and not something work related.

"Leave it there." Law breathed. "We can deal with it later today. Come on." The surgeon tugged Rocinante away from the luggage and began to walk down the short hall to where the blond presumed was a bedroom.

Rocinante immediately dug his heels in, embarrassed. "L…Law. What are you doing?"

Law cast a look over his shoulder, his face neutral. "What? I thought we could take a shower. The road was dusty on the trip out here. The windows were open on the train and I feel dirty because of it."

Rocinante was feeling dirty in an entirely different way as a blush crossed his cheeks. The blond struggled for a moment, before he turned back to the luggage. "Then you'd need clothes, right?"

Law's hand closed over Rocinante's firmly. "There are towels in the bathroom." The dark haired surgeon said vaguely. "And I said we should take a shower. As in, at the same time."

"Law..." Rocinante closed the distance between them and hugged the surgeon as he pressed his face against Law's shoulder with a sigh. "Please don't tease me."

"I'm not?" Law patted the blond's back awkwardly. "I just thought…I wanted to try and see you naked again. It might make some things easier…for later."

Rocinante pulled back and looked Law in the eye, to see if he was serious. From the surgeon's expression, he was.

"Cora?"

"Have you been reading those books again?" Rocinante asked at length.

"Yes." Law sounded unashamed to admit it. "For the past few nights while I was planning the trip."

"Then..." Rocinante trailed off, and after another long moment of thinking, carefully dragged his hands up along the surgeon's sides. Law merely let go of Rocinante and stared up at him, as he was waiting for him to do something.

But what?

Rocinante figured it out. Hardly daring to breathe as if his eyes would be deceived otherwise, the blond slowly tugged up on the hoodie, revealing the tanned skin and tattoos beneath. Emboldened by the fact that Law was not protesting, Rocinante removed the hoodie the rest of the way and leaned over to place a kiss at the very top of Law's tattoo.

"You next." Law said, sounding a little uncertain, but sure all the same.

Rocinante blinked, and then smiled as he stepped back a bit to pull his sweater off. And then went and got himself stuck. The blond haired man tried to pretend that nothing was wrong, but the more he struggled with the sweater, the more caught it appeared to become. Eventually, Rocinante even slipped and fell over. The blond stretched out on the floor with a sigh. How embarrassing. He couldn't even remove a shirt correctly and it was really frustrating that he had the problem now when Law was acting-

"Do you need some help?" Law asked from overhead.

"...yes." Rocinante admitted after he'd fumbled with the shirt again and failed to get it off.

"Hold still." The surgeon said, his voice closer this time.

Rocinante felt Law tug at the sweater.

"Can you sit up a little?"

Rocinante awkwardly shifted so that his one arm that was free could brace against the floor.

"Now lift your other arm up." Law said, his voice bland.

Rocinante did as asked, although as he was freed from the sweater and watched Law toss it aside, he could have sworn that he'd heard a different tone in Law's voice. Besides what sounded like an indifferent one. Rocinante settled his back against a wall to remain seated, and wondered if it wouldn't be better to stay there for a time.

And then the dark haired surgeon was on his lap.

Now that was something he really hadn't expected and Rocinante felt a little ashamed of himself that he immediately wrapped his arms around Law's back in order to hold him closer.

"Hello." Was Rocinante's brilliant statement to the fact that Law was very close to him. He could even see the rise and fall of the dark haired surgeon's chest, and Rocinante really, really wanted to trail his fingertips along Law's bare back in that moment.

"Hello indeed." Law said as he tilted his head. The surgeon lost the smirk he wore in favor of a troubled expression. "Do you not want to do stuff like that?"

"Like what?" Rocinante returned, a little thrown off. He did not mind the sudden touching in the least bit and was actually considering telling the surgeon so. "What are you-"

"Like taking a shower together." Law said bluntly. The dark haired surgeon immediately looked appalled with himself for having said such a thing. Or at least, that he'd admitted that he wanted to do so with the blond. Even if he'd been the one to suggest the idea in the first place.

Rocinante very much wanted to do just that but was concerned that it might potentially lead to other things and he didn't want to rush Law. But the blond haired officer felt that this was a bit weird considering their clothing only tended to get pulled off when they were already making out. But to have it be because Law wanted to take a shower with him…

Take a shower with him…

Rocinante let go of Law to bury his face in his hands as he issued a groan. "Law, I can't do it."

 "I thought you were telling me last week that you wanted to see me naked? Not that you haven't seen me naked before." Law's tone had become curious. "Or did you change your mind?"

"I was a little bit drunk at the time when I told you that." Rocinante admitted, ashamed of himself over the memory. He hadn't meant to drink that much but what with all the stress and unknowns, he had. And to his shame Law had been the one to try and sober him up. Rocinante was merely thankful he hadn't tried to be overly friendly and insist they get naked then and-

"Cora."

Rocinante hesitantly looked Law in the eyes, before he sighed. "I do. But not in the way that I was insinuating...at the time."

"That's why I figured the shower would be all right?" Law sat up a little, but remained on Rocinante's lap for the most part.

"Law, if we were in the shower together I would want to touch you." Rocinante said with another groan as he let his head fall back against the wall.

"But I want you to touch me." The surgeon made it sound as if this should have been obvious.

"What?" Rocinante lifted his head and this time it was Law who avoided eye contact.

"I do...like it when you touch me." Law said quietly. "So long as you don't go too quickly."

"But...we'd still both be naked and I would..." Rocinante trailed off, trying to find a way to show that while he had good self-control for the most part, there were some things that could be very tempting. And a naked Law in a shower with him naked as well was one of those.

"What about that time you pulled me into the pool shower?" Law queried. "Or the time when you joined me in the hot tub?"

"But that was-"

"We were both naked in the Jacuzzi, right?" Law cut Rocinante's protest short. "And you did touch me then, so I don't see what the problem with a shower right now would be. It's a fairly large one, so both of us fitting in it wouldn't be a problem." Law reached out and picked at Rocinante's hair for a moment before he showed some dust that had settled in. "And you do need a shower." Law slid off the blond's lap, as if to get up.

"Law, I-" What Rocinante was going to say was halted as the surgeon was suddenly on his hands and knees between his legs as he worked the belt and pants off. When Rocinante watched the surgeon do the same thing with his own pants, the blond couldn't help but let out a faint sound as if Law were tormenting him in some way.

"Come on." Law said as he got to his feet and offered a hand.

Rocinante stared at the hand for a moment before he took it but try as he might, Rocinante couldn't keep his eyes off of Law's very snug fitting briefs. The surgeon was definitely trying to kill him with being such a tempting sight. Rocinante couldn't remember any of Law's boxers or other briefs being so snug. Rocinante was appalled with himself because he'd realized that since they were all alone he had begun to have much more amorous thoughts regarding Law. Probably because the blond had no need to worry about them being interrupted.

Law seemed to have figured this out and with a smirk kissed Rocinante as soon as the blond was on his feet again.

Rocinante stuttered something before he seemed to get control of himself and took a deep breath. "You're...fine with being in the...same place?" With water cascading down on them, which would make Law look very nice. Rocinante almost, almost gulped at the mere thought of a wet Law with glistening tan skin and was about to knock his head very hard against the nearest wall when the dark haired surgeon stopped him.

"Please tell me you weren't going to hit your head just now." Law said, his tone a tad worried. "It gets enough abuse as it is from your clumsiness."

Rocinante wasn't sure how to put into words that he was feeling terribly guilty about thinking of all the things he'd like to do with the surgeon, but tried anyway. "But I was thinking..."

"Sexy thoughts?" Law interjected blandly. "Or naughty thoughts, as Shachi would probably choose to pipe up and say." Law pulled Rocinante away from the wall. "I seem to recall you looking at me similarly that one day when Luffy came over unannounced. A year and a half or so ago, I believe? You looked as if you wanted to...ah...jump me and presumably eat me in a rather pleasurable way? And I returned the look, if only because I found you rather...attractive in that moment?"

"Shower." Rocinante groaned as he brought Law up against him to kiss. "Shower, now." The surgeon was most certainly teasing him now. The only question was...why hadn't he been showing any signs of it before? Even before Doflamingo had roped Law into doing things for him, Law hadn't exactly been this forward about their relationship and the more...intimate aspects of it. It made Rocinante wonder if Law had been in some way holding back at the thought of someone, the surgeon's roommates, specifically, interrupting them. Or part of the reason, anyway.

"Shower." Law breathed in return, before he made another bold move and relieved Rocinante of his briefs.

Rocinante had honestly not foreseen this or anything of the like happening as soon as they arrived to the lodge, but found that he was in no way opposed to it. And since Law appeared to be in the mood, so to speak, Rocinante took it upon himself to relieve the surgeon of the last of his clothing. The blond couldn't help but press himself closer to Law as he did so to feel the dark haired man wrap his arms around his back. But even if he was very turned on by the way this was going, Rocinante still remembered to ask if it were all right.

"Can I...take it off?" Rocinante breathed against the side of Law's neck as his fingers trailed along the top of the surgeon's briefs.

"...yes, it's fine." Law said after a moment. "I don't want to get them wet in the shower."

"Of course not." Rocinante said amiably as he carefully maneuvered Law out of the briefs, silently congratulating himself for not toppling either of them over in the process. And then they were off down the hall and somewhere along the way it had turned into an impromptu make out session before they'd even made it to the bathroom.

It made Rocinante deliriously happy to suddenly be able to give and receive all of this affection when there'd been so little time for it these past months. And Law seemed intent on making him happy in some way, but honestly, just going on a trip with the surgeon and getting uninterrupted alone time with Law had already made Rocinante very happy.

Anything else was an unexpected bonus.

 


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should finish posting the rest of this. It's mostly going to be the same as the one on ffn with the occasional addition to a chapter.

The thing about an impromptu make out in the hallway was that neither Rocinante nor Law were looking where they were going. So it was unsurprising that the blond took a tumble upon entering the bathroom.

Law, still breathing heavily from the exertion of kissing Rocinante so much, took a moment to regain his breath before he checked on the blond.

Rocinante, for his part, sat up relatively quickly, but froze in place when he caught full view of Law as the surgeon crouched down in front of him. And valiantly stained to keep his eyes on Law's face.

"Are you going to be all right if we go into the shower?" Law asked as he reached out to trace a finger over a scrape on one of the blond's knees. "Because we could take a bath if your balance is going to be an issue."

"I'm fine." Rocinante said quickly, because he knew that if he was in a bathtub that he would have even more trouble keeping his hands off of Law. But the surgeon had said that he'd wanted him to touch him, so touch him the blond did. With a faint, teasing smile, Rocinante settled on his knees and hugged Law to him.

"Cora!" Law said with a surprised gasp, before he tentatively leaned in to the hug. The surgeon was quiet a moment as Rocinante traced his fingertips up along his back, before he spoke up. "I thought we were going to take a shower?"

"We will." Rocinante said, before he fell silent and busily paid attention to the surgeon via nuzzling and kissing his way along the tanned skin before him. But the blond haired officer relented when Law urged him back to his feet and nearly dragged him in the direction of the shower.

Law pecked Rocinante on the cheek with an averted gaze before he turned the shower on and got in. The surgeon sent a brief glance over his shoulder at Rocinante, as if to see if the blond was actually going to join him.

By the time Rocinante got into the shower with Law, he pointedly looked anywhere but the surgeon's naked body, so as to not tempt himself further. And that made it difficult to see what the surgeon was up to, and it was the reason why Rocinante didn't notice Law reaching up until the dark haired surgeon had his hands in his hair. Rocinante finally chanced a glance down, but made absolutely certain to keep his eyes on Law's face. The blond believed he may weird Law out otherwise by making the dark haired surgeon aware of the fact that he was not at all indifferent to the fact that they were in close quarters and naked. Unless Law had already figured it out moments before.

"Close your eyes and lean over. I'll clean your hair for you."

Rocinante immediately lowered his head while at the same time bracing himself lest he slip and fall over. And then, Rocinante was in total bliss as Law's fingertips gently ran over his scalp and through his hair with the shampoo, and by the time it was all rinsed out, Rocinante couldn't help but turn Law's head toward him to kiss him. It just felt so relaxing and soothing for Law to gently draw his hands through his hair. Rocinante, mid-kiss, decided that he ought to return the favor and help Law clean his hair as well. Rocinante shivered ever so slightly as Law leaned up against him skin to skin to allow for better access.

And then neither of them was really paying attention to the shower because they were more focused on one another. Law startled Rocinante by pressing up against him even more snugly and the blond haired man found, to his surprise, that Law wasn't all that indifferent to the situation either. Or rather, his body wasn't, because even Rocinante could tell by the way Law resumed kissing him that he wasn't ready to go on quite yet.

And that was fine with Rocinante. He was fine with whatever pace Law chose to set.

The shower ended with a few more kisses and a few heavy handed touches of skin before the water was off and the ability to reach the towels was tested.

Rocinante was all smiles as he watched Law try and fail to reach the towels because the dark haired surgeon was so keen on keeping at least one arm wrapped around his waist. Rocinante finally took mercy on Law's sanity by reaching over and snagging the towels for them. The blond haired officer smiled when Law, red faced, wrapped the towel around his waist and silently made it known that he would do the same for Rocinante by keeping a firm grip on the second towel.

Once the surgeon had secured the towel around his waist, Rocinante made as if to get out of the tub, but was stopped by Law gripping his arm. Rocinante let out a laugh when Law got out first, and it looked as if the surgeon was making sure that the towel stayed hitched around his waist before he reached out for Rocinante. The blond graciously accepted the help out of the tub, mostly because he felt the telltale slip of a foot that would have landed him flat on his face had Law not been there to help him remain upright. Once Rocinante was steady on his feet again, the surgeon led him out of the bathroom and down the hall, back to where they had left their suitcases in the entry hall of the lodge.

Rocinante couldn't help but smile the entire time that Law went through their suitcases to pick out clothing, because it took the other man longer than he really needed to spend doing so. But Rocinante said nothing about it as he took a pile of clothes that the surgeon eventually offered him. And the look on Law's face when the surgeon grabbed a pile of his own clothes made the blond haired man wiggle happily in place at how much the other was thinking things over.

"I love you, Law!" Rocinante said brightly, and watched, without any surprise at all, as Law fled into the nearest room with a door.

Which happened to be the coat closet.

The blond haired officer shook his head fondly before he examined the clothes in his arms and found, to his amusement, a snug fitting turtleneck and sweatpants. Rocinante skipped the boxers but put the pants and turtleneck on, and then went over to the coat closet and leaned up against it. "Law. Are you done changing?"

"In a minute." Was the surgeon's response. Ten minutes passed and Rocinante was close to forcefully opening the coat closet to get Law to stop stewing in whatever embarrassment had overcome him. When another five minutes slipped past, the blond haired officer went ahead and opened the coat closet, and went in with out missing a beat to trap Law up against the nearest wall. Rocinante nosed his way down along the side of the dark haired man's throat, and then kissed his collarbone. "You ready to come out yet? It's a bit stuffy in here."

"I suppose it is." Law agreed, even if he leaned back against the wall more heavily to allow Rocinante to kiss him along his exposed collarbone.

"You've been in here for fifteen minutes and you haven't even buttoned the shirt up?" Rocinante asked as his hands went to the dress shirt draped on the surgeon's frame.

"No."

Rocinante set about buttoning the shirt up, but left the last two buttons alone, because it allowed him to catch a glimpse of the tattoo on Law's chest. The blond leaned over to kiss it, and then pecked the dark haired man on the cheek. With a smile at the way Law fidgeted, Rocinante backed away and held out a hand. And smiled some more when Law took it and stepped out of the coat closet. For some unknown reason, Law seemed to be self-conscious about something. But Rocinante couldn't figure out why that was. The blond haired officer thought they might continue where they had left off from the shower, but the surgeon merely held onto his hand more tightly.

"Law?" Rocinante was a little confused, but allowed the surgeon to lead him into the kitchen. The blond sat down at a look from Law that he'd become familiar with as the one that indicated that the surgeon wanted him to sit. And wait while he cooked so that the blond didn't randomly set things on fire and set the alarms off. Rocinante propped his chin up on a hand as he smiled fondly at Law's back as the surgeon focused on cooking their lunch. And then, after staring at Law for a few minutes, Rocinante finally realized why the dark haired surgeon had been so self-conscious when he'd been caught wearing the dress shirt.

Because Rocinante recognized it, as it was his dress shirt and not Law's. And it was a bit big on Law, as it appeared as if the surgeon had had to roll the sleeves up a bit to get it to not fall over his hands. Rocinante titled his head to the side and found that he quite liked Law wearing his clothes. He liked it a lot. Rocinante even entertained the idea of going up and hugging Law from behind to show him just how much he liked the sight.

"Cora, get up. We're going." Law said as he finished getting the food onto plates.

Rocinante hadn't realized that he'd stared for so long, but felt that it was all right, because obviously Law knew that it wasn't his shirt. But it did leave the question of why the surgeon had decided to wear it. Did he think that it would get a reaction out of him?

"Cora?" Law asked, hand on the door that led out into the backyard of the lodge.

"Where are we going?" Rocinante asked as he rose from his seat. There was a perfectly nice dining room table in the kitchen itself, so the blond haired man was a bit perplexed as to what the surgeon was up to.

"You'll see." Law said in reply as he opened the door and picked up one of the plates. With a politely puzzled expression, Rocinante trailed after the surgeon, and then spotted the screened gazebo that Law was headed straight for.

That explained what Law was up to without the surgeon even having to explain himself. A meal outdoors was nice every now and then.

Law took a few trips to get everything out and onto the table, but said nothing as he ushered Rocinante over to sit down on a bench on one side of the table.

Rocinante spent the entire meal staring across the table at Law while the surgeon pointedly avoided eye contact. Once they finished their lunch, the blond haired man reached across the table and slipped one of his hands over the surgeon's nearest one.

"Law?" Rocinante waited until the surgeon made brief eye contact with him, before Law absently poked his fork at his empty plate. The blond settled his hand around Law's tightly. "I want you to know that I will love you no matter what you have to do." Rocinante brought the surgeon's hand up to his lips to kiss when he saw the startled look. "I don't care if I'm fired or arrested for not telling anyone about what's going on. About what Doffy is making you do." Rocinante figured that he should say something about these past nine months, because he could tell that Law was troubled about it even if the surgeon clearly wasn't about to dwell on it while they were on vacation.

"I'm here for you and you alone. I won't do anything to hurt you." Rocinante got a hand squeeze in return for that, but nothing more. So the blond watched and waited for Law to say something. At least, Rocinante had been willing to wait, but when it looked as if Law were about to clear away the dishes and head back inside after the surgeon had discreetly freed his hand, the blond acted. Rocinante got up and walked around the table, his eyes firmly on the dark haired surgeon as if he could will him to stay in place and not run off.

It was a wonder that the blond haired officer didn't trip.

Law wasn't about to run off but he was certainly not attempting to respond to Rocinante's words. The surgeon was clearly doing some heavy thinking instead which he had trouble getting out of based on failing to notice that the blond was moving toward him until the other man was directly in front of him. Law immediately busied himself by gathering the dishes together into manageable stacks to bring back in. "What is it?"

Rocinante said nothing. He just got closer to Law. The blond haired officer figured that he would let his actions speak for him.

The dark haired surgeon made as if to pick up a stack of plates when his hands were gripped loosely by Rocinante's. "Cora?" Law asked, his voice a little breathless when he finally chose to look up at the blond haired officer. "What are you doing?"

Rocinante brought the surgeon's hands up to his lips to kiss. The blond haired man laid soft kisses over each knuckle as he kept his eyes on Law's golden ones, which were a bit alarmed. But not in a bad way. More like the surgeon wasn't sure what to make of what Rocinante was doing.

Law wore a blank look for a moment longer before he tugged at his hands. "I should bring the dishes in."

Rocinante smiled and got close enough to Law to kiss him. It was a feather light, brief kiss. "You can leave the dishes where they are. They aren't going anywhere." Rocinante steered Law away from the table, and out of the gazebo. The surgeon went along willingly enough, even though it looked as if he were in some sort of a daze. Rocinante led them over to the pond, where the koi all gathered to one side.

Law seemed to snap out of the daze he was in, because he freed his hands and fumbled with a plate that he had left near the pond for the koi. "I haven't fed them yet." Law said distractedly as he sat down near the pond, clearly flustered.

Rocinante settled on the ground near the surgeon carefully, pleased that he didn't fall over. The blond pressed himself snugly up against Law's side, his head resting on the dark haired man's shoulder. The blond watched the koi eat the food that Law had clearly gotten out just for them, and when the plate was clear, Rocinante cupped the surgeon's jaw and tilted it toward him. "Are you stalling or are you just nervous?"

Law fidgeted with the now empty plate before he met Rocinante's eyes, and then looked away again. And then turned and grabbed the blond haired officer's hand that was tracing his jaw. "A little of both, it seems." Law said after a moment, as he brought Rocinante's hand away from his face. And then stared at the blond's hand as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Don't be nervous." Rocinante insisted as he playfully encouraged Law to lie down on his back. "It's not any different than when we're at home and doing something like this." Rocinante drew Law into a kiss and then smiled teasingly at the surgeon's guarded expression. "We don't even have a potential audience now, so you really don't have to be nervous."

Law thought on that a moment, before he gave a nod. But when the surgeon spoke, his voice bland. "That is true. There's no one but the people in town and they aren't about to come out here."

"Then it's okay for me to touch you some more?" Rocinante asked as he pressed a kiss to Law's temple before he nuzzled the surgeon's cheek with his own.

"Outside?" Law asked with a hint of embarrassment in in his voice. "Shouldn't we go inside? If we're going to..."

"There's nothing wrong with being out here, is there?" Rocinante asked as he cupped Law's jaw again and kissed him. And when Law tentatively joined in on the kiss, Rocinante settled over him further and trailed his free hand through the surgeon's hair, and then down along his side. Law seemed fine with the kissing and the soft touching, at least until he remembered that he was outside. The surgeon reached up to press a hand to Rocinante's chest. "Are you all right?" Rocinante asked as he reluctantly broke the kiss off.

"Yes, but we should really go inside." Law insisted, clearly distracted by the blond's touch. "I don't want to be out here. The...the koi can see us."

The koi seemed to be disinterested in what the two men were doing now that they had been fed. Not that the koi would actually care if the make out continued near their pond.

Rocinante let out a rumble of soft laughter as he showered Law with affection in the form of little kisses all over his face. "The koi are harmless and are probably only disappointed that you have no more food to give them."

Law pressed his hand against Rocinante's chest again, a little harder this time. "I'd…rather be inside." Law said as he side glanced toward the woods as if someone would walk out any moment. "What if someone does show up?"

Rocinante felt a bit stupid for thinking that he could make out with Law outside, because he couldn't say with certainty that no one would show up from any given direction. No matter how unlikely that may be. So Rocinante offered an apologetic smile and let Law up.

"I'm not...opposed to..." Law searched for the right word, gave up, and continued. "Doing this with you...I'd rather just be alone with you, with no prying eyes to interrupt us..." Law trailed off, again acting as if he had admitted something embarrassing.

"I want to be all alone with you too." Rocinante beamed happily, especially when the surgeon seized his hand and led him back to the door of the lodge, the plates on the table forgotten. As soon as the door was locked behind them, Rocinante suddenly had Law pressed up against him and on tiptoe, and the surgeon wasted no time locking the blond into a kiss.

Rocinante blinked, surprised, and then found it utterly adorable that Law was more comfortable with affectionate gestures inside than outside. And then they were on the couch, and Law was impatiently wresting his turtleneck off of his body and Rocinante was very, very surprised when the surgeon stared down at him with a reserved look. "Law?"

The dark haired surgeon blinked, before he began to trace his fingertips along Rocinante's chest. And then Law leaned over and placed a few kisses along the scars that littered the blond's chest and stomach. Rocinante writhed a little in surprise at the action before he let his head rest against the back of the couch as he let out a soft, pleased sigh. But the moment he let out a faint moan was when the surgeon seemed to realize what he was doing, because Law immediately stopped what he was doing.

"Something wrong?" Rocinante asked as he drew the silent surgeon to him and pecked him on the cheek.

"I…" Law wore a conflicted look on his face for a brief moment before his expression became a bit out of it, as if he were thinking about something. Golden eyes darted down and then instantly back up to study Rocinante's messy blond hair that was still in the process of drying.

Rocinante flushed a bit. He'd hoped to not make it obvious that he was aroused, but it seemed that he had failed to do so. But he nearly burst into laughter the moment Law finally managed to speak.

"I…I need to go feed the koi."

"You're so adorable Law." Rocinante gushed as he hugged the surgeon to his bare chest. "You just fed them not five minutes ago." The blond haired man nuzzled the top of Law's head. "What do you want to do now?"

"I..." The surgeon fell silent for a few minutes, before he pressed his face against Rocinante's shoulder, his voice quiet but sure of what he said. "I want to go to the bedroom. With you. But you'll have to let go of me so that I can get up, Cora."

"I know." Rocinante said, even as he clung to Law tightly. The blond haired man let go of Law a few minutes later and kissed his hand as the surgeon got up off of the couch.

Law abruptly turned and headed for the bedroom.

Rocinante let out another low, soft laugh as he snuck up on Law and scooped him up in his arms to lock the surgeon into a rather passionate kiss. The blond felt elated when Law's arms wrapped around his neck in return as the surgeon urged Rocinante to deepen the kiss. Rocinante honestly had no idea how he was able to make it to the bedroom without tipping, but he managed.

But it seemed that there was a bit of uncertainty as to what exactly they were going to do now as Rocinante stood near the bed as Law settled onto it. Silence reigned for a few minutes as the two of them stared at one another, until the surgeon felt compelled to break the silence.

"Are you going to join me on the bed or stare at me?" The dark haired surgeon asked.

"I'm going to." Rocinante said from where he stood staring at Law. "I just like that you wore one of my shirts."

"It is comfortable. I've worn it at home before." Law replied as he picked at the sleeves, not even attempting to deny the fact that it wasn't his. "Even if it is a little too loose."

"When would you have worn it?" Rocinante asked, honestly curious. "I've never seen you wear it before."

"Ah, well, I only ever wore it when you weren't at home. Well, this wasn't the only shirt that I wore that was yours." Law said, a trace of complete and utter mortification in his voice, as if he hadn't thought about it much before. "I missed you when you went out of the city, even for a few days, for your job. I might not even wear the clothes. Maybe just sleep with it." The surgeon snapped his jaw shut at that, as if he hadn't meant to admit that.

"You should have said something before. I would have left more clothing lying around for you to wear." Rocinante slowly began to encroach on Law's personal space. "Maybe I would have been able to catch you then." The blond's gaze locked firmly onto the dress shirt that the surgeon wore, a pleased smile on his face. "How long have you been doing that? Sleeping in and with my clothes, that is?"

"A few months after I started to see you. And especially during the time that I broke up with you. I had one of your shirts that I slept with." Law had a blush across his cheeks by the time Rocinante reached the bed, clearly embarrassed by the admission.

"And after we got back together?" Rocinante prompted as he leaned over Law to stare at him.

"I'd just keep a shirt of yours around when you'd forgotten to do your laundry and you'd left it behind when you went back to your apartment." The surgeon breathed, looking anywhere but the man that currently loomed over him. If Law had, he would have seen just how much Rocinante wanted to lay him out on his back on the bed and press their bodies together. In order to continue on where they'd left off before they'd taken a shower.

"Law." Rocinante took a breath to steady himself. "You've been taking my clothes for over two years?"

"Yes." Law confirmed as he scooted backward on the bed.

Rocinante took that as an invitation to join the surgeon and the blond haired officer all but crawled onto the bed to settle over Law. And then they were kissing, and Rocinante was ecstatic as he licked and nipped Law's lips. That the surgeon responded to the kiss thrilled Rocinante, even if the blond was determined to take things slow and go at the pace that Law chose to set. Which happened to involve Rocinante exploring the inside of his mouth from the way that the surgeon parted his lips slightly in the kiss.

Law groaned breathlessly as he wrapped his arms around the back of the blond's neck to hold him closer.

Rocinante hardly dared to even breathe as he determinedly explored every inch of Law's mouth in that kiss. Because Rocinante honestly hadn't excepted things to escalate to this point, even if he was very happy with the fact that it had.


	58. Chapter 58

Law wasn't sure where to go after all that had happened in such a short time since they'd been in the lodge, but decided the bedroom was the best place to go.  He was mainly thrown off because there was much more intimacy going on at the moment then he was used to sharing with Rocinante these past few months. But the dark haired surgeon couldn't help but return Rocinante's gaze as the blond drew closer to the bed. Even if the look in the other man's eyes was burning with an intensity that Law wasn't used to seeing. But the surgeon could only think about how he wanted Rocinante on the bed, so he reached out and grabbed one of Rocinante's arms. The surgeon was confused when Rocinante merely settled on the ground before him, his hands resting on either of his thighs as he stared up at him.

"I love you." Rocinante said with a warm smile, as if sensing the dark haired surgeon's slight unease.

Law shivered slightly at the very low tone that Rocinante's voice had taken as the blond rested his head against his thigh, alongside one of his hands. All the while he stared up at the surgeon, although Rocinante's gaze softened the longer he looked at him.

"Is it all right if I touch you?" Rocinante trailed his fingertips lightly along Law's thighs in question.

Law knew that Rocinante was being patient with him, as he always was, to make sure he didn't do something the surgeon didn't like. Because Law knew that the blond meant if it was all right to touch him without clothing on. The dark haired surgeon seemed to have lost his voice, so he merely reached down with his hands and gripped his belt, when Rocinante's hand settled over his.

"It's okay for me to touch you?" Rocinante repeated as he tapped Law's hands.

"Yes."

"Then let me do that." Rocinante insisted as he gently moved Law's hands away from his belt.

Law rested his hands on the bedsheets and gripped them lightly. The surgeon bit his lip slightly when Rocinante rid him of his belt with a few deft movements before he carefully removed the pants. Law squirmed just a bit at the sight of Rocinante's eyes darkening at the sight of the snug briefs the surgeon had put back on. Law's breath hitched as Rocinante leaned up and pressed a kiss right over those briefs, which made Law utter a little helpless sound of surprise.

Rocinante's eyes flicked in the direction of Law's face, before the blond's gaze settled back on the briefs. And then Rocinante slowly maneuvered them off and down Law's legs, before Rocinante kissed the insides of Law's thighs with a soft sigh. Perhaps because Law putting those tantalizing briefs back on had left little to the imagination.

Law felt a little appalled with himself that he had chosen those briefs for that exact purpose and reaction. The surgeon just hadn't been ready for the reaction as he thought he had been.

And when Rocinante's mouth closed over him, Law had trouble thinking much of anything. And since the dark haired man hadn't expected it, there wasn't much he could do when it affected him so much that it took very little for him to be put over the edge.

Rocinante seemed to be aware of this fact, but it didn't stop him from lavishing delicious attention all over Law's length from base to tip, as if determined to make it feel good.

Law slumped against the bed with a slow exhale, feeling rather sated, and merely turned over toward Rocinante when the blond joined him on the bed. It was interesting to Law that he didn't mind so much right now that Rocinante's pants were missing, putting both of them naked in bed together.

Rocinante pressed a kiss to Law's shoulder as he settled close, and spoke softly as he held one of the surgeon's hands in his own, fingertips tracing soothingly along the back of his hand. "Do you want me to keep going?"

Law nodded wordlessly as he moved the hand in Rocinante's grip to hold on to in return. Although Law furrowed his brow in confusion when Rocinante shifted next to him and reached over the side of the bed. While the dark haired surgeon waited, words sprang unbidden from his lips as if to respond to what Rocinante had said to him outside while they'd been eating.

"I love you too, Cora." Law said. The surgeon's golden eyes were on Rocinante's face when the blond turned back to him, whatever he'd been reaching for momentarily forgotten. Law felt that if he didn't keep talking, he wouldn't be able to get out why he had been stalling, and had been since before the show. "I want to try again." The surgeon dropped his gaze. "Especially now that we're alone. I...don't want to keep making you wait."

Rocinante figured out what Law was hinting at and took a shuddering breath before letting it out. "Are you sure?" He seemed to not look as hesitant about whatever he'd been looking for now, as he dipped a hand over the side of the bed again.

"I think so." Law gave a nod. "But if not...you will stop, won't you?"

"Of course." Rocinante said, the blond's voice a little hurt that Law had even had to ask at all. The dark haired surgeon appeared to be reassured by the confirmation because he moved closer to Rocinante. And then Law reached out and drew the blond haired officer to him to kiss.

Rocinante let out a happy little sigh into the kiss as he slowly let his hands rove over Law's bare skin. The blond nuzzled his way along Law's neck, leaving little kisses here and there.

"Cora." Law breathed, his hands reaching up to tangle into Rocinante's hair.

"Give me a moment." Rocinante breathed in return as he drew away from Law to fumble over the edge of the bed at his luggage.

Law wondered what he was up to. And when he found out, he was embarrassed but glad that at least Rocinante had thought ahead and had been prepared. Law recognized one of the items as something that Shachi had pressed into his hands before. And then there was a foil package.

-x-

Rocinante could tell that Law knew what he held as he watched the surgeon let his head fall back down on the bed. The blond couldn't help but smile when it appeared as if Law would use humor to cover up any discomfort.

"I didn't think they'd have a big enough condom for you."

"I…I'm not that big." Rocinante mumbled, slightly self-conscious as he snuggled up against Law's back.

Law turned over and appeared to compare sizes if his words and light touch were anything to go by. "Well, you are bigger in stature than I, so you are a tad longer, and I am not as wi-"

Rocinante hastily stopped that train of thought by kissing Law before he began to kiss his way down along the surgeon's neck and to his collarbone. Rocinante heard the faint trace of laughter and figured that meant that Law had been teasing him. It made him happy, oddly enough, that Law was comfortable enough to do so.

"Do you have the lube?" Law asked, slightly breathless as Rocinante continued to shower him with kisses. It sounded as if he were trying to mentally talk himself through what was to come.

Rocinante was fine with Law going step by step aloud if it made him feel better, because the blond haired man knew that they had only ever tried this once, back in their bedroom after the hot tub. Law hadn't been up for any exploration down there other than a hand job or a blow job since then. And especially not for the past nine months. Rocinante almost wanted to cry he was so happy that he got another chance to try to do this with Law, and they were all alone as well, which made it even better. It meant that there was no one to interrupt them.

"Cora?"

"Yes, I do. I have it." The blond pressed a kiss to the side of Law's neck. "And I'll be sure to go slowly." Feeling Law hold one of his arms tight and give a nod, Rocinante carefully undid the cap on the lube and spent some time with it because he felt that the surgeon was still slightly squeamish about it, like he'd been the time he'd tried before. At least until his fingers brushed something they hadn't the last time and Law made a little sound and pressed back up against him in what was almost an automatic response.

Rocinante flushed at the sound that had accompanied the movement, swallowed and then tried to keep focus as he continued his lazy exploration. At least until it seemed as if Law were wriggling impatiently, ready to continue.

"Do you want me stop?" Rocinante asked as he withdrew his fingers. "Or keep going?"

"Keep going." Law said after a brief pause before he hesitantly pressed back against Rocinante. "But go slowly. It's been awhile since I read some of those books…or tried anything on myself, with everything that's been going on."

"I will." Rocinante said as he fumbled with the condom, nearly dropping the thing on the ground before he got it on and used some more lube. Again, the blond was struck with hesitation. They hadn't gotten this far before, and he was having a moment of doubt. That even after being with Law nearly three years, the other man may still not be mentally ready for this. Rocinante turned Law over onto his back so that he could kiss the surgeon, and felt Law's hands trail through his hair again as he whispered. "You have to let me know if it is too much, okay?" Rocinante asked as he pecked Law on the cheek. "Don't force yourself just to make me happy. I want you to want to do this. Not because you feel that you have to. Understand?"

"Hm, yes, I do." Law said as he urged Rocinante to rest his head on his chest so he could continue to card his hands through the blond haired before him. "I'll let you know."

Rocinante readjusted and with a deep breath, continued on. Worry overcame him as he wondered if he'd spent enough time with the lube from before, and if he had enough now on the condom to actually get in without causing Law any pain. It seemed to be all right, but as soon as he got partway in, Law tensed up and let out a faint sound as he gripped the blond's head tighter against his chest. "Law?" Rocinante asked, having a hard time holding still as he checked to see if it was all right to progress.

"It's...fine. Don't stop." Was the faint reply.

Rocinante gave a tentative thrust, just to get most of the way to see what response that elicited. When there was no protest, Rocinante gave another, slightly less hesitant thrust, and nearly cringed when he heard the sudden panic in Law's voice.

"Too much." The surgeon gasped, twisting away slightly. "Cora, stop."

"Hold still, Law." Rocinante said shakily as he pressed a kiss to Law's chest. "It'll make it harder for me to pull out if you move like that." The blond haired officer felt bad at the way Law instantly went limp on the bed beneath him before Rocinante carefully drew back, as if worried he would cause more pain.

There was an awkward silence between them as Rocinante rid himself of the condom, since he figured that there was not going to be any more of that for the night. "Sorry." Rocinante mumbled, though he felt the surgeon press up against him from behind moments later. "Law?"

"It's not your fault. I..." The dark haired surgeon let out a sigh as he wriggled up to rest his chin on Rocinante's shoulder. "I thought it would be fine by now."

Rocinante carefully turned over and pecked Law on the cheek as one hand sifted through the surgeon's hair. "I don't mind. I'm just glad that you told me. I wouldn't have wanted to keep going if it hurt you." Rocinante realized they were still naked and let go hastily. "Sorry."

"It's fine." The dark haired surgeon insisted, as he scooted closer to Rocinante to tuck his head beneath his chin. "I still want to sleep with you in the same room, so don't go sneaking out into the other room."

"B…but we aren't wearing clothes." Rocinante protested.

"It's fine." Law said again as he rested an arm over the blond's waist. "I figure this way I will get used to it and not be as uncomfortable about it." The surgeon's voice became a bit detached as he added. "And it gives me ideas."

"What kinds of ideas?" Rocinante asked faintly, but Law said nothing more as he merely settled down and decided to go to sleep.

Rocinante tried to go to bed as well since Law was slumbering soundly ten minutes later. But the blond couldn't, because he had been given an erection, and Law had him in place where he was resting comfortably and he didn't want to wake the surgeon up. The blond haired man fidgeted uncomfortably but fell into a light doze after he resisted jacking off, mainly because he had Law pressed up against one of his legs. But when Rocinante was sure that he could move Law without waking him, and he still had a bit of a problem, the blond did manage to slip away to the bathroom.

The following morning Rocinante was surprised by Law kissing him and giving him a blow job. As if to show that he wasn't opposed to their intimacy and it was his mind that needed the time to get a handle on the idea. The blond merely kissed Law ecstatically and wondered how long he was going to last before he cracked and pulled one off in full view of Law, regardless of whether it would embarrass the dark haired surgeon or not.

And with six more full days of vacation, Rocinante really liked the sound of spending every minute of it with Law, even if it was to just cuddle on the couch or something of the sort. Unbeknownst to the blond haired officer, Law had plans to take Rocinante to a cottage nearby. Because the surgeon had ulterior motives in bringing Rocinante out into the countryside with him other than to spend time alone with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, this chapter is still kind of awkward. But as for Law going on ahead and taking Roci to see his mother...I guess I don't have a good reason for doing it other than wanting to do it. I guess I didn't think that part through as much.


	59. Chapter 59

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, the reason it is taking me so long to finishing posting this fic on this site is that when I am moving the text, I have to separate it into paragraphs from blocks of text.

Rocinante woke a short time after Law had fallen back asleep after giving him an early morning surprise. The blond haired man smiled sleepily. At least the dark haired surgeon didn't slip away to the other bedroom of the lodge. Rocinante hoped that meant that Law was at least a little more comfortable with their intimacy than he had been before. Perhaps the previous night he'd merely not given Law enough time to properly think things through and mentally prepare himself, so to speak.

The blond haired man sleepily nuzzled closer to the surgeon as he began to further wake up, before he remembered just what had happened last night. With a deep breath, Rocinante drew back and reached out to lightly caress Law's cheek. The blond smiled at the sight of Law subconsciously leaning into his hand with a faint sound. Rocinante carefully drew his hand away and got up and out of bed, nearly taking himself down to the floor when he realized that he'd been tangled up in the bedsheets.

Rocinante managed to steady and extract himself from the sheets. He miraculously didn't even fall over at all as he got dressed haphazardly and quietly exited the room. Rocinante needed a smoke, and he didn't want to wake Law up just yet. It was the blond's hope that he would be able to get back into the lodge and in bed before the dark haired surgeon woke up.

Outside, Rocinante settled on a bench near the small koi pond, and lit a cigarette. Absently the officer smoked it as he let out an occasional trail of smoke as he stared at the surrounding wooded area with a glazed look across his face. The previous night didn't seem real, but Rocinante was sure that it had happened, and now, he really, really hoped that Law was all right, since he seemed to have had a bit of a panic after their attempt at sex. At least Law had told him to stop. He'd have felt terrible if the surgeon had just gone with it to make him happy or something of the sort.

Rocinante absently tugged his feathery black jacket up over his shoulders a little further. Law seemed to be all right after last night. The surgeon had most certainly been responding to those kisses as always, and had even touched him in return. Rocinante knew that even if Law had indicated that he was ready, that he had still been squeamish over the whole process, and figured it was because they had really only gotten so far one other time.

The blond haired officer bit down on his cigarette as he reached up to run his hands through his hair with a sigh. Rocinante knew that he wouldn't say that he had been happy to be skin to skin with Law, at least not aloud, mainly because the blond felt that it might weird the surgeon out. Although the blond was sure that Law would have known the fact anyway with the way he'd acted. Rocinante blushed slightly as he dwelled perhaps a little too long over the sounds that Law had made and the way that the surgeon had reacted to him in general. Rocinante did suppose that they had had sex, even if it had not lasted for very long. Especially since Law had bailed after just a few thrusts.

The blond shook his head, again glad that Law had let him know to stop. And there were still six days if their vacations left, and if the surgeon was anything like he was the day before, Rocinante wondered if perhaps they would try again one of those nights. If not, that was fine with him as well because he got to be alone with Law and that was what he really wanted.

Law's undivided attention.

Rocinante felt that while they were where they were in what amounted to the middle of nowhere, Law had no obligations that would otherwise split his attentions. It was petty, but Rocinante really loved spending time with Law when neither of them had any work to do so that they could just focus on one another. With a fond shake of his head, Rocinante began to rise from the bench to go and put of his cigarette. Instead, he tripped and fell over onto the ground, where his jacket caught on fire.

Again.

And it was just Rocinante's luck that that was the exact point in time that Law had chosen to come and look for him.

-x-

Law wondered if perhaps he should have slept in a while longer when the first sight he saw in the morning other than a silent lodge was Rocinante on fire. Law stared, still slightly sleepy, as Rocinante managed to get the jacket off and beat the fire out. The dark haired surgeon went still when he caught sight of the blond from behind, crouched over the smoldering jacket. Or, rather, Law stared at the blond's broad back and felt that he appreciated the view and acted accordingly before he could think things through. Law took a few steps forward before he all but draped himself over Rocinante's back as his arms went around the blond's neck to snuggle close. Law buried his face against the side of Rocinante's neck soon after and inhaled the scent of cigarette smoke. And then decided he needed to press himself further against the blond.

Rocinante overbalanced, partially out of surprise and partially over his own clumsiness, but at the very least it was a short distance to fall. Rocinante grunted as he hit the ground but luckily Law had had enough sense to let go so that he didn't choke the blond haired officer. Law waited until they were settled on the ground before he rested against Rocinante's back again and gripped his sweater.

"Morning, Law. I was just coming out here to have a cigarette…" Rocinante greeted warmly. The officer didn't sound upset in the least bit that he'd been all but knocked to the ground.

"It appears that you already have had one." Law commented with a faint smirk crossing his lips. "I assumed so, anyway, with the way that you had caught yourself on fire." The surgeon let out an undignified yelp as Rocinante gave a low laugh and turned over to trap him in a snug hug against his chest.

"I thought you might have gone straight to the coffee before you went to look for me." Rocinante pecked Law on the cheek.

"I actually did set up a pot of coffee to brew first." Law admitted. Without a whisper of protest the surgeon allowed Rocinante to coax him further up his chest so that the two of them could share a kiss. Law doesn't mind the lingering trace of the scent of smoke, because he had really wanted the kiss that morning. It was reassuring, in a way, because Law felt that it mean that Rocinante was not disappointed how things had ended…earlier last night than he probably would have liked when they'd try to have se-

"Law?"

" Yes?" Law asked, turning his gaze back to Rocinante. When he saw the concern in the other's eyes, the surgeon knew what the blond was going to say and hastily propped himself up. "We should go back inside and have some breakfast." With bright, knowing smile aimed his way, Law hastily slid off of Rocinante and made his escape back into the lodge.

Rocinante nearly started to laugh when Law came straight back and led him to the lodge with a hand firmly wrapped around one of blond haired man's as if to make sure that he wasn't going to fall over on the way back inside. Rocinante smiled the entire way to the kitchen and kissed Law enthusiastically before the surgeon freed himself and busied himself with making preparations for breakfast. Rocinante waited until Law didn't have a sharp object in his hand to speak. "Are you all right?" The blond asked. "Not too sore?"

Law promptly dropped the plastic bowel he had onto the ground, going red in the face as he breathed out in mortification. "I'm fine." The dark haired surgeon flushed some more when Rocinante got up and approached him, and hastily went back to trying to make breakfast.

"Are you sure?" Rocinante wrapped his arms around Law's waist loosely as he kissed the side of his neck. "I don't want you to overexert yourself if you are."

"Cora! I'm trying to cook! Go sit down before you find something in the kitchen to hurt yourself with." Law tried and failed to sound gruff as his voice merely came out as more of an embarrassed grumble.

Rocinante merely smiled some more and with hardly an effort, hoisted Law into the air as the surgeon made an indignant growl. Rocinante managed to sit down on the chair without falling over and with Law on his lap, started to shower the dark haired surgeon with affection and several I love you's. Only when Rocinante was sure that Law was only feeling awkward over the way that the blond held him so tightly did he let go to allow the dark haired man to go and finish breakfast. Rocinante smiled at the sight of Law as the surgeon went about cooking in a rather dazed manner.

It was very difficult to remain in place and let Law cook when Rocinante noticed that the surgeon was again wearing one of his shirts.

And nothing else.

Law's sly comment about five minutes later didn't make matters easier.

"Do you want sausages with your eggs, Cora?"

Rocinante blushed as he stared hard at the surgeon's back. The blond again wondered just how much of the teasing Law did was intentional.

"Or are you interested in different type of sausage?" Law's voice sounded directly next to him, the tone smug and most certainly accompanied by a smirk.

"Law!" Rocinante caved in at that and without any hesitation pulled Law onto his lap again as he kissed the surgeon along the throat with some urgency as he all but growled into his ear. "Are you not wearing anything under that shirt?"

"No?" Law asked breathlessly. "I wanted the coffee so I just threw on whatever was closest to me on the bed."

"Good." Rocinante said shortly, his hands already moving.

Law went limp against the blond, chest heaving slightly as he let out a helpless little gasp at the sensation.  One of the surgeon's hands gripped Rocinante's nearest forearm, but not the one that continued to gently stroke him.

"C...Cora..."  Law mumbled, sagging even further against the other man as he continued to make motions with his hand.

The blond haired officer was truly confused with Law's mood after giving the surgeon a hand job. At the very least, Law had already finished breakfast beforehand, so there were no fire hazards to be had when Rocinante had his attentions focused on Law.

Rocinante should have known it was a bit bold of Law to say such things to him because the dark haired surgeon had immediately locked himself in the bedroom to get changed after the exchange. The blond had to wait a half hour to do the same, and in that time couldn't help but smile fondly at the closed door.

Law could be so cute sometimes with the way his mind pulled him in every direction over what he wanted and how he felt with what he wanted.

-x-

Rocinante, once he'd changed into some clothing for the day, went outside to go and locate Law, as he was fairly certain that he had seen the surgeon slip outside when he'd gone to change. The blond haired officer found Law seated on the bench where he had been before, and headed toward him when he realized something. The surgeon currently wore his winter coat and Rocinante wanted to make sure that he wasn't going into town in an attempt to work.

"Please tell me you just wanted to go for a walk?" The blond haired officer questioned as he hugged Law from behind. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if you left me behind to work."

"I was just about to go and get you." The surgeon said as he patted Rocinante's arm. Law said nothing of their little exchange after their breakfast. "But yes, I was thinking of going for a walk." Law hesitated and then added. "Would you like to go with me?"

"Of course I would." The blond hugged Law and pressed his lips to the surgeon's cheek in a brief kiss.

"Let's go now." Law gently freed himself from Rocinante to look the blond over.

Rocinante allowed the scrutiny and smiled at the sight of the dark haired surgeon averting his eyes. The blond haired officer knew that Law liked the sweater that he currently wore and the scarf that he'd found at the bottom of his suitcase likely helped with the sight.

Law said nothing as he rose from the bench and began to walk.

The blond haired officer smiled and caught up with him. After a brief searching look, Rocinante slipped his hand into Law's. The blond smiled brightly when Law, his golden eyes on the path, linked their hands together. Rocinante's mood grew even happier as he pressed himself as close to Law as he possibly could without potentially knocking either of them over. That their walk wound away from the town made Rocinante enjoy it even more. The only damper on his mood was the sight of a cottage that soon came into view.

And with that came the knowledge of where it was that they were going.

Rocinante was torn.

He really wanted to go into that cottage, as he knew exactly where they were now that he really thought about it, and felt foolish for not noticing sooner. But the fear of what could happen inside forced the blond to stop in place and there was no moving him until he made up his mind. Rocinante knew now why Law had chosen the lodge where he had to take their vacation together and couldn't help but love how sharp Law was. That even if the surgeon didn't always seem to be listening when Rocinante spoke to him, Law heard him anyway, no matter how distracted he may appear to be. Rocinante tightened his grasp around Law's hand as he stared at the cottage.

Rocinante just knew that his mother had to be inside.

And it terrified the blond haired officer to even think of meeting her after all these years because he didn't know what to expect. Nor how he felt about seeing her when Doflamingo had not.

-x-

Law would have thought from the way that Rocinante had spoken of his mother that he would have been thrilled to bits to finally go and see her. But right now the surgeon could tell Rocinante was torn between going inside the building or running away. Law squeezed the blond's hand lightly. "Go inside. I spoke to your coworkers before we left on our trip and they already told her to expect you to come and visit." The dark haired surgeon saw the look of utter surprise that crossed the other's face. "You do realize that your coworkers have been trying very hard to get you to visit your mother for years, right?"

"I know." Rocinante said in a small voice.

"Then don't keep her waiting." Law said as he shook his hand away from Rocinante's and lightly pushed the officer in the direction of the cottage. "You still have one of your parents; I don't." The dark haired surgeon looked away. "Do not wait until it is too late." Law gasped as Rocinante suddenly swept him up in his arms. The surgeon had only a moment to cling to Rocinante's shoulders before the blond locked lips with him. Law moaned something into the kiss as Rocinante flicked his tongue out. The surgeon parted his lips and made the attempt to join in on the searing kiss that Rocinante gave him. Law was breathless by the end of it as the blond haired officer gently set him down.

Rocinante took a deep breath and let it out before he headed to the cottage at as fast a pace he could manage without actually running and accidentally tripping himself.

Law followed at a slower pace, sure his face was flushed from the passionate kiss Rocinante had visited upon him. By the time the dark haired surgeon entered the modern cottage and peeked into the living room, Rocinante was openly sobbing, on his knees with his arms gently wrapped around an older woman's shoulders. Rocinante's mother was crying as well as she hugged her youngest son in return. Law wasn't sure what he should do but felt that he shouldn't intrude on the tearful reunion. So he went back out into the hall and sat down. But the surgeon didn't think that he had been out there for long before he heard Rocinante call for him.

"Law? Could you come in here?"

The dark haired surgeon reluctantly rose, not sure why the blond wanted him now when he should be talking with his mother. He also wasn't sure what to think about Rocinante's assumption that he had followed him into the cottage either. Law entered the living room and crossed over to where Rocinante stood next to a couch. The surgeon wasn't so sure that Rocinante should have been so friendly with him in front of his mother as the officer had rested an arm over Law's shoulders and had drawn him to his side. And then the blond spoke.

"Mother, this is Law." Rocinante smiled at the surgeon before he turned back and added, in a warm tone, "He has been my partner for nearly three years."

Law immediately felt self-conscious at the blond stating as much but was slightly less nervous when Rocinante's mother smiled at the pair of them before she held out a hand to the surgeon. Law took the offered hand at an encouraging smile from Rocinante and took another look at the older woman before him. Her long blond hair was streaked here and there with white, but the blond parts were the same color as Rocinante's. The eyes were a little different but when she was smiled again Law recognized it as a smile that Rocinante would give him on occasion.

"It's nice to meet you. I was told by Tsuru why there was no contact for so long, but I'm glad that you've brought one of my sons to me."

"...you're welcome." Law said after a moment, albeit a little awkwardly. The dark haired surgeon wasn't sure what else to say, as he was mainly taken aback that there were no issues that arose from him being with Rocinante in a...romantic sense.

Rocinante's mother stared at the two of them for a moment before she began to smile again. "I'm happy that my son has found someone to have in his life. He always had been shyer than his older brother when it came to letting someone know what he wanted." A hint of mischief entered the older woman's eyes as she eyed Law. "Take care of him for me? I only just learned today that he and his brother are alive and well. It would make me sad if that changed anytime soon."

"S...shouldn't it be the other way around?" Rocinante stuttered at his mother's words.

"He does take care of me in more ways than I do for him, but I will try my best." Law told Rocinante's mother with a rare, genuine smile. He should have known that Rocinante would have been more subdued as a child from just how long it took for the blond haired officer to work up the courage to ask him out in the first place. And then all the reassurance that he had needed over the years that Law would not leave him. Doflamingo certainty seemed the bolder of the pair, even if Rocinante had started to become bolder around Law the longer the two of them were together. "But Cora will have to let me know when he needs me to take care of him. He always seems to be more interested in my well-being than his own."

The next half hour consisted of Rocinante with his face buried against Law's back as the surgeon and his mother talked about the blond haired officer, including his job and how he and Law had met. Interestingly enough, there was no talk of Doflamingo, and Law presumed it would be something touched upon when he was not around. But Law could tell, after a few hours that Rocinante spent after speaking with his mother, that he was happier than he had been in a long while. Law was just a bit confused that Rocinante said nothing the whole walk back to the lodge late in the evening. In fact, Rocinante did nothing but walk alongside him and sneak furtive glances his way when the blond thought he wasn't looking.

At least, the blond haired officers' actions were a mystery until they were back in the lodge and the door was locked. Then the blond let Law know just what he'd been thinking the entire way back.

Law let out a muffled gasp when Rocinante pounced on him just as the surgeon had started to take his winter jacket off and was pressed up against the wall nearest the coat closet. Law gasped as the blond's mouth sealed over the side of his neck and started to suck harshly against the skin. The dark haired surgeon dropped his hands from the zipper of his coat to brace himself against the wall with his hands and forearms.

"Cora?" Law asked breathlessly before he let out a low groan as Rocinante turned his attention to the other side of his neck and pressed himself flush against Law's back to keep the surgeon pinned between his body and the wall. Law bit his lip before another moan escaped from him as Rocinante slowly ground up against him from behind.

That was...different.

"Law."

The dark haired surgeon shivered involuntarily at the sound of Rocinante's voice becoming a little more guttural than he was used to hearing. Law allowed the blond to gently pull him away from the wall before it became clear that Rocinante wished to divest him of his winter jacket. And then his sweater. And his pants. And then his briefs. As each article of clothing was removed gently and carefully as Rocinante kissed him wherever the skin peeked out. Which meant Law's throat, and then his back, before Rocinante reached his lower back.

Law wasn't sure how but he was suddenly braced back up against the wall and was actually making what sounded like encouraging sounds as Rocinante pressed back up against him. And then the surgeon realized that he was completely naked while the blond was still fully clothed, but didn't have the time to process that very well as Rocinante's lips and hands were suddenly back on his skin.

"Love you." Rocinante mumbled as he started to place kisses against the back of Law's neck and then began to make his way down his spine. "Love you."

Law shivered as Rocinante came to a slow at his lower back before the surgeon realized that the blond must be on his knees as he pressed his cheek to the middle of his back. Law had a fairly good idea what was going on and found himself to be too intrigued in the change that had come over the other man to stop him.

Rocinante mouthed along Law's skin with a soft sigh as he reached around with one hand and-

Law braced himself against the wall further as he shook slightly from the fact that Rocinante had started to stroke him and it was quite a lot different than when they'd been in bed. Or even at the table earlier that morning. The dark haired surgeon let out a faint sound as he sagged against the wall when Rocinante gently thumbed the tip of his cock. Law wasn't quite sure what came over him after that had happened, mainly because he wanted more of that sensation of Rocinante's hand wrapped around his length. The surgeon had even started to try and press himself into the hand to get more of the feeling. It stuck Law as odd that his body was responding more to the blond haired man's touch than it had yesterday.

Was it because Rocinante had caught him off guard?

Law wasn't able to find the answer and instead chose to focus on the sensation that he was receiving. The surgeon even tried to say something to Rocinante but in the end it only came out as a fairly desperate sounding whine. Which Law supposed got the message across, even if it wasn't exactly what he had wanted.

The blond haired man's hand moved faster in response and added some gentle squeezes and thumbing that seemed to make it even better.

Law really didn't last longer than that and didn't even have the thought to be embarrassed over the fact that he'd come all over the wall. Instead the surgeon was focused on the fact that Rocinante's fingers were suddenly somewhere they had been the night before.  And somehow, the blond had had the lube on him as well.  Interesting. Law let out a thin sound through his nose as he felt Rocinante's breath against the side his neck.

"It's okay?" Rocinante barely sounded with it with what he was currently occupied with. "I can stop."

Law closed his eyes briefly and let the sensations roll over him before he let out a sigh. It didn't seem any different than yesterday other than the fact that he was slightly more mentally prepared this time around. It could also be because his mind had not caught up with the rest of him as of yet over the suddenness of what was going on. Law would not admit to it but he had stared at Rocinante's naked body the night before and had dwelled on things. And then decided after a while that there was no way that he shouldn't be able to have had sex.

Rocinante had stopped when he'd asked him to. Had refrained from touching him that morning when Law most certainly had not done so in return. And right now, the surgeon didn't feel as much of the conflict that he had the night before.

"No, it's okay." Law said aloud after an inquiring kiss from Rocinante. The surgeon let out an audible moan that he was unable to hold back as Rocinante seemed to put more effort into what he was doing with his fingers. But when the fingers left him, Law let out a confused sound as Rocinante pulled him away from the wall. Law dazedly presumed they'd go to the bedroom with the way this encounter was headed but instead Rocinante went to the couch instead and urged Law onto it with kisses.

Law wasn't sure what to make of the fact that Rocinante had had a condom and some more lube in the drawer of a nearby table. And then he didn't really care because Rocinante was kissing him again and he found he wanted that.  Law would always want those kisses, no matter what else might be going on. The surgeon didn't react to the sound of foil being ripped open, even if he did cling around Rocinante's arm at the sound of lube being opened. Law took a breath and let it out as soon as he felt the familiar sensation that he'd experienced the right before he had backed out of having sex.

"Try again?" Rocinante managed as he kissed Law's throat lightly.

"...Yes." Law felt he was better prepared that time around, even if it was a little less than a day since they'd last tried.  And it was hard to give his consent, because those fingers were very, very distracting with the movements that they were making.   

Rocinante silently locked lips with the surgeon in what appeared to be some form of thanks before he carefully pressed against Law after spending a little more time with the lube. And when he was sure that Law was really all right, he gave a tentative thrust.

Law clung to Rocinante and mumbled something into the kiss.

Encouraged, the blond resumed moving and began to leave kisses here and there over the tanned skin that was available to him.

It was much different than before but Law felt that he had managed to overcome whatever it was that had held him back the previous night. It was partially because Law knew that Rocinante would never hurt him, and there was the reassurance that he would stop the moment that the surgeon indicated he was uncomfortable. It also helped that Rocinante asked both times that if he was all right.

After a few more thrusts, there was hardly any room for talk but for the encouraging sounds that were made and the touches that accompanied those sounds.

-x-

"Where did all that come from?" Law asked later once both he and the blond haired officer had their minds come back online. Neither one of them had bothered to move away from the other and had instead chosen to cuddle despite the mess that was there from their activities. At the very least Rocinante had disposed of the condom before he went straight back into hugging the surgeon to him. Law dimly realized that ought to clean the couch in the near future.

"You made me incredibly happy." Rocinante said after a moment. "You went behind my back to arrange it so that I would meet with my mother after over 20 years of not having seen her. And you did that on top of a planned week-long trip, where you knew that we would get to be all alone." Rocinante pecked the surgeon on the cheek. "You held my hand on the way to the cottage and encouraged me to go inside when I had doubts of doing so. You said that you'd take care of me." Rocinante pressed his cheek to Law's as he nuzzled him. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help myself, and I couldn't do anything around my mother. It would have been inappropriate, and I do think I have better control than that."

"Ordinarily you do.  I really didn't expect you to push me up against a wall." Law said dryly in return.

"Was that...okay? I realize I didn't ask very much if it was." The blond sounded concerned and a little anxious over the fact. "Again, I really just couldn't help myself. I was so happy at the time I couldn't think to wait any longer."

"Yes, it was fine. You asked in…other ways…and in fact I think I…" Law looked away as he held on to one of Rocinante's hands. "I think I may have responded more to what you did then, than anything else we've done. I don't know if it was the surprise or the fact that you had me up against a wall."

"Why don't we try again tomorrow and find out?" Rocinante teased as he snuggled closer.

"It won't be a surprise if you tell me when." Law's voice was mortified, as if the mere thought that he might like it more than a planned make out was a terrible thing.

"Then I won't. I'll just make sure you're all right with it after I catch you." Rocinante said as he nuzzled along Law's throat and placed a kiss there.

Law pressed his face to Rocinante's shoulder right after that kiss to hide a blush yet ended up blushing harder as soon as the blond opened his mouth again.

"If I'd have known that you'd be more interested and turned on while being jumped like that and would respond to me more I would have tried it sooner. I just didn't think you actually would." Rocinante kissed the top of the surgeon's head. "I love you Law. Thank you for giving me another chance."

Law just then became aware of the fact that his ass was rather sore when he tried to get up so he made the executive decision to just press himself closer to Rocinante and not move. And for good measure to make sure to let the blond know of his intentions, he tangled his arms and legs around the officer's body.

Rocinante didn't mind this in the least bit, and in fact started a very thorough exploration of Law's now exposed throat, and was smiling as he kissed the dark haired surgeon between ear and jaw. Rocinante let out a breathless little laugh as Law squeezed his limbs tight as if to try and ward off that particular kind of kiss. So Rocinante compensated by bringing his lips to Law's and indulging in a very nice kiss that soon had both of them gasping for air.

That Law was smiling by the end of it made Rocinante ridiculously pleased.


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff at the beginning before going back to angst and tormenting the characters. I may go back and edit this chapter again at some point, as at the moment, I am not in the mood to write out a non con scene.

When Law woke the next morning it was to Rocinante drowsily nuzzling the side of his neck. With a sleepy nuzzle of his own in return the surgeon rested heavily against Rocinante's chest and splayed one arm over the blond haired man's waist with a sigh. And then what they had done the previous night hit him and, red in the face, Law pecked Rocinante on the cheek before he made a hasty retreat to the bedroom.

Rocinante was just smiling that happy smile when the surgeon returned, and Law had to all but drag the blond off of the couch to urge him into motion. And that was difficult to accomplish because Rocinante was just so friendly that morning that he ended up taking the surgeon down to the ground to cuddle for another half hour. It was only after that that Law could convince the other man to get cleaned up and dressed for the rest of the day.

-x-

Rocinante was so elated for the next several days that he almost didn't know what to do with himself. But he didn't have to, because Law had appeared to have made other plans. And Rocinante was happy to do whatever the dark haired man wanted to because he just couldn't believe that Law had allowed him to raise the level of their intimacy. Even during breakfast on the fourth morning of their vacation he couldn't help but beam happily at Law.

The surgeon had acted accordingly and pretended not to smile.

But Rocinante knew that Law was likely happy, and it made Rocinante happy that he was happy. Because after those nine months of being forced to kill other people with various drugs, Rocinante knew that it had taken a toll on Law. And he was glad for the respite, because it seemed to be helping a lot in the way that Law was more reflexed. And smirking on occasion, which made Rocinante relieved. He was worried that all of the stress was having too much of an impact on Law's health, and was glad to see peeks of the surgeon's odd humor now and again.

Rocinante absently poked a fork against the plate in front of him, dropping his gaze from Law briefly. And to think that two nights ago they had gone and had-

"Cora? Is something the matter?" Law asked suddenly. "Your face is getting red."

Rocinante fumbled with the fork, dropped it, and then buried his face in his hands wordlessly because he'd started to think too much about Law. Specifically Law without his clothes on. And Law making sounds that the blond had never expected to hear out of the surgeon because it was-

"Cora."

Rocinante peeked through his fingers and found that Law had gotten up out of his seat and come to stand in front of him to check him over, likely for any signs of injury.

There weren't any.

Not that could be seen, anyway.

Rocinante just couldn't stop thinking about Law. Wordlessly the blond haired officer reached out and grabbed Law, silently urging him closer to sit on his lap.

Law did so willingly enough with a perplexed expression, before his voice, and statement, appeared to make it clear that he'd figured out why the blond was blushing as soon as Rocinante pressed his face to his chest.

"I think if anyone should be embarrassed about sex it should be me, don't you think?" Law asked as he ran his hands through the messy blond hair before him.

Rocinante just wrapped his arms around Law's back and held him closer.

"I'm fine, if that's what you want to know." Law's hands went still in Rocinante's hair before mussing it up further. "You weren't thinking of trying to do anything now, were you?"

"No." The blond haired officer said quietly. "I was just thinking about how happy I still am that you let me try again."

"It's not that big of a deal, is it?" Law mumbled, even if his voice was slightly uncomfortable over the topic.

Rocinante noticed and lifted his head to give Law a peck on the cheek.

And then his neck.

When Rocinante reached Law's lips he found the surgeon had already tilted his head to the side to meet him halfway. The blond's heart fluttered in his chest and it made feel him so ridiculously sappy to know that Law knew when he wanted to kiss him. Rocinante decided to be honest with Law's question about what he was thinking or not thinking of doing.

"I can think of something want to do right now, but I don't want to make you angry." Rocinante mumbled into the kiss.

"And what would that be?" Law's eyes had closed briefly before they opened back up to meet the blond's eyes. Law held tight to Rocinante as the blond rose with him in his arms before he turned and plopped the surgeon back down on to the chair he'd been seated on.

"May I?" Rocinante settled his hands on Law's legs and looked up at him with a curious tilt of his head that sent the blond hair partially into his eyes.

Law was faintly flushed but after a thorough inspection of the area to make sure that no one was around, he settled back in the chair and had his hands on his belt.

"No sex outside." The surgeon mumbled when Rocinante's hands joined his in getting the belt off.

"Not outside." Rocinante agreed. And he remembered it when Law tried to take it further, because he knew that the dark haired surgeon would not want to be so exposed outside. Rocinante didn't want him to be either, although mainly because he didn't want anyone else catching sight of Law naked other than himself.

Law, as soon as he was back inside the lodge, immediately went to making the attempt to clean the bathroom and the kitchen. The surgeon was likely just realizing then that he had been trying to urge Rocinante to perhaps romp in the sack, so to speak, on the outskirts of the woods.

Rocinante couldn't help but smile at the sight. He truly did love Law, and he just hoped that the surgeon would be able to retain some of what they'd shared here when they went back home. Rocinante would be saddened if Law felt the need to tamp down that he obviously cared about him. And the blond haired officer would hate to see Law lose that smile that he'd been catching glimpses of these past four days.

Unfortunately, Rocinante knew that until he found some way to deal with his brother that Law was going to be under a lot of pressure and stress when they returned home. And that smile that Rocinante loved to see out here in the countryside would be absent.

-x-

Law was rather disappointed that the week-long vacation had gone by so quickly, but at the same time he was glad that they had gone on it. The surgeon was certainly glad that Rocinante went to visit his mother several times since Law had taken him to go meet with her. And it wasn't like he didn't have more than enough time spent with Rocinante after that. Law and the blond haired officer had certainly done a lot of things outside of the lodge; they'd even made a few brief stops in the small town that was nearby. And then there were other mindless activities that they had shared together over the course of the week.

Cooking.

Feeding the koi.

Eating lunch and dinner in the gazebo.

Walking through the woods aimlessly.

Rocinante spontaneously catching fire with those dratted cigarettes.

Rocinante finding anything and everything in the area to trip and fall over.

Law was honestly taken aback that he hadn't had to take the blond to the small hospital to stitch anything up.But there were other things that the dark haired surgeon had learned about Rocinante that he would keep in his mind upon returning to the city.

One was that he was never, ever going to allow Rocinante near a pit of fire ever again.

Never.

Law wasn't even sure why he had thought it was a good idea in the first place, since the blond couldn't even roast a marshmallow. Rocinante had somehow lit himself on fire instead of the marshmallow.

The second thing was that Law was going to follow through on was the bubble wrap threat if he caught Rocinante falling out of bed one more time and hitting his head on some piece of furniture. It worried the surgeon at times to think that Rocinante could hurt himself more than just getting a lump on the head. Perhaps Law would just bubble wrap the furniture or something.

The third was that he was never going to take Rocinante out to fish ever again.

That had been a stupid idea.

The blond had not only managed to tangle himself in the lines of the fishing rod but had also nearly capsized the entire boat they'd been in when he'd fallen out of said boat, while still wrapped in fishing cord.

Law thought he might drown with all the flailing that had been involved. The surgeon wasn't about to forget half hauling the blond to shore because Rocinante had been sure to kiss him senseless upon reaching the shore.

It had been a very, very nice kiss but Law was not going to budge on the fact that he had to go and retrieve the boat after he'd made sure that Rocinante hadn't drown. And damned if Law couldn't help but smile when he got back to shore with the boat and found Rocinante still tangled in the lines and damn near in tears with a plead for help in his eyes when he saw the surgeon.

Law had painstakingly untangled the whole damn line and, when Rocinante wasn't looking, had burned the damn thing in a fire pit because how dare it try to drown _his_ Cora. The surgeon had become flustered that he'd taken his aggression out on an inanimate object and downed a large bottle of alcohol over the course of an hour and a half and was drunk off his ass by the time Rocinante wrestled the bottle away.

That had been rather interesting, and even in his drunken state he'd known that Rocinante had done nothing but patiently let him ride it out and halted any attempt at a make out because he was so out of it. Law honestly couldn't remember much of what happened but knew for sure that when he woke up that he had a terrible headache.

That had been the third day of their vacation and Law hadn't had a drink since. And now as it was the last day of their vacation, they had to think about heading back to the city.

And the rumors that had not abated about the Surgeon of Death.

-x-

Law let out a yawn and stretched as he checked to make sure that his luggage, as well as Rocinante's, was packed. Satisfied that it was all together, Law wandered around the empty lodge, and couldn't help but think it even emptier without Rocinante there. But he was with his mother right now. As they were leaving, the blond haired officer might not get the chance to see her for some time. But he had promised, it seemed, to write his mother. Law thought that he heard something, but shrugged it off. Rocinante should not be back quite yet. He still had time before the train would come. And since he expected Rocinante back, Law didn't bother to lock the lodge door. He didn't see the need to in such a remote place.

It was a mistake, not locking the door, and it was one that Law would regret making.

As the dark haired surgeon passed the short hall of the bedroom, he was suddenly seized by the scruff of his neck and all but thrown up against the wall. Law knew in an instant that it was not Rocinante that was there, and that made him duck down and make a lunge for the bedroom, thoughts forming in his mind that he could lock himself inside.

The person that was in the lodge with him thought otherwise.

Law staggered as he was struck a harsh blow to the head. The surgeon managed a few more steps before he crumpled to the ground. He was so disoriented that he was not able to do anything to fight back against his attacker, nor could Law do anything to stop them from taking him out of the lodge and into the woods. Law made a token of protest when he saw that he was being taken to another lodge. But his head hurt so much that he could barely work up the strength to move.

But when Law was brought into a darkened room and dropped unceremoniously onto a bed, the surgeon's heart began to race in panic when he noticed that there was a low murmur of voices. Law scrunched up defensively at the sight of unfamiliar faces and their expressions.

The expressions took Law nearly three years back to being cornered by those thugs in the alley. The surgeon immediately tried to make an escape, but didn't get very far when one of the men in the room seized him by the arm and pinned it down onto the bed. The surgeon immediately twisted over and kicked out at the man and felt brief victory over freeing his limb with the well placed kick. The retaliation was swift, and Law had no time to get in any more kicks or punches as a blindfold was forced over his eyes and a gag shoved roughly into his mouth.

Law tensed up, the quiet jeering starting up the moment he couldn't see. And then the strangers in that room did what the thugs could not, and this time around, Rocinante was not there to stop them. Law desperately tried to force what was happening out of his mind. Attempted to focus on anything else but was currently happening to him at present. And Law could only settle on one thought with a sick feeling churning in his stomach as he was pawed at.

Doflamingo.

Law couldn't help but believe that Doflamingo was behind this.

And then who could be responsible for this predicament he found himself in was out of his mind as Law desperately clung to the thought that somehow, someway, Rocinante would come and help him. But as time stretched on and no one came to rescue him, the surgeon fell into despair as he was forced into something that he did not want, and felt helpless that he couldn't even protest.

Throughout it all, Law couldn't help but think about how painful this was going to be for both himself and Rocinante.

-x-

Rocinante returned to the lodge a few hours after he'd finished meeting with his mother, and was just so overjoyed he wasn't so sure he could contain himself when he got back home. He was just so happy, especially during this whole week alone. It was as if all of those terrible months of Law being forced to work for Doflamingo in return for everyone'd safety had been made less terrible with this wonderful trip.

"Law?" The blond haired officer called out as he closed the door behind him.

No response.

Rocinante hoped that Law hadn't locked himself in the bathroom again. He'd have hoped whatever shyness that the surgeon still had would be gone by now but Rocinante supposed it was a lot of time alone to have gotten used to. Law was likely thinking about what they were going to do about having two roommates nosing around again. With a fond smile, Rocinante passed by the suitcases packed and ready to go as he continued on his search for the elusive surgeon.

But the more Rocinante searched, the more concerned he became. Because Law wasn't anywhere in sight, nor was he answering his calls for him to come out. Rocinante peeked out the windows of the kitchen into the backyard of the lodge, but didn't see anything other than an empty gazebo and the koi pond.

Where was Law? He can't have gone already because their luggage was still there. And the door had been…unlocked…

Worry began to settle in Rocinante's gut as he began to think of possible reasons for Law not to be where he ought to be and each thought was more worrisome than the last. Rocinante nearly cried out in relief when his cell phone began to ring, but that relief was lost in an instant at the sight of an all too familiar number.

Doflamingo.

Why was his brother calling him? He had better things to focus on. Like finding Law. It had started to snow outside and the blond figured that getting back home sooner rather than later would be better for traffic. Rocinante didn't want to have to worry about slipping in the flesh snow either. It had happened before, much to Law's horror.

"What do you want, Doffy?" Rocinante answered the phone, his voice flat. He did not have time for this.

' _You know, Roci, I'm surprised that you have not turned Law in yet.'_ Doflamingo said thoughtfully. _'It doesn't seem like you. I thought when you became a police officer, it was to catch criminals.'_ The older blond's voice became wicked. _'Isn't Law a criminal for what he is now doing as the Surgeon of Death?'_

"Only because you are blackmailing him into doing it. He would never have done something like it otherwise." Rocinante said in return as he bit back the urge to tell his brother that he could possibly get Law off the hook if the surgeon testified against him. But it was too early to bring that up. He wasn't going to put Law in danger like that if he had to see his brother again when they were back in the city. "And I will not turn him in." Because Law was too important to him to ever think of doing that to him.

_'Ah yes, I assumed as much. I really don't see why you care so much for that brat anyway.'_ Doflamingo laughed as his voice turned sly. _'Fufufufu. And especially if he doesn't do…everything that a relationship can entail.'_

"I only go as far as he wishes it to." Rocinante said darkly in return. "Nothing more."

_'Oh Roci…'_ Doflamingo's voice gave off a falsely pitying air right before it became biting and vicious. _'By the way, I couldn't help but notice that it seems that I am still being investigated by your unit. It's like they are trying to find some incriminating evidence against me.'_

Rocinante said nothing; he'd hoped that his brother wouldn't have noticed that.

_'So, because of that, I decided to do something about it.'_

"Where is Law?" The surgeon's absence suddenly made more sense, and panic leapt through Rocinante.

_'Don't give me that. It's not like I had someone go kill him, as he is still of use to me with his access to a variety of drugs. But as I had to do something, and the only way a message seems to get through to you lately is through him, I acted accordingly.'_

Rocinante gripped his cell phone so tight he thought he might break it. "What did you do?"

_'I figured that since you're such a saint that you probably haven't even gotten around to having sex with Law in the nearly three years that you've known him.'_ Doflamingo continued to speak as if he hadn't heard the officer.

"We did, actually, not that it is any of your business." Rocinante couldn't help but let scorn seep into his voice. "I'm a patient man. I wanted to let Law decide when and if he was ready."

_'I know you are patient. It's been very useful in the past.'_ Doflamingo agreed before he let out a disappointed sigh. _'Too bad; perhaps it won't have as much an impact as I thought it would, but it should still be sufficient as another warning.'_

"Where. Is. Law?" Fury rose within Rocinante at what Doflamingo was implying but it was more imperative that he located Law before he dealt with his brother.

_'I presume somewhere in the woods near the lodge you're staying at. My men are likely done with him by now. I doubt that he would get very far in his condition.'_ Doflamingo sounded dismissive, as if he couldn't be brought to really care where the surgeon was. _'It sounded like they might have had a little too much fun with him-'_

Rocinante had already hung up before Doflamingo could say anything more and pocketed his phone as he raced out to begin to scour the woods. And because he knew that his brother had hinted at Law being raped, Rocinante had brought a blanket along as well. One that had been tucked into a closet in the lodge and therefore likely had nothing more than dust on it. Rocinante didn't want to remove any potential evidence, as much as it made his skin crawl to think of such a thing. The longer it took to find Law, the sicker with worry Rocinante became, especially with how cold it had started to become. He'd also begun to worry about Law just immediately going back to the lodge to get himself clean. But as soon as Rocinante came across the surgeon, he knew that he would receive no protest from Law about being taken to the local hospital. 

The dark haired surgeon was passed out on the ground and unaware of the snow falling down from above. Rocinante took in the unfamiliar shirt and sweatpants and felt a hot anger sweep over him at the thought of people touching Law when the surgeon wouldn't have wanted them to. But Rocinante pushed back that anger as he carefully gathered Law into the blanket and cradled him in both arms against his chest.

Rocinante didn't much remember the journey to the small town and its hospital. He didn't remember hearing all the worried questions as soon as he walked into the lobby of the small clinic. But one look at his face must have said it all because he was soon ushered into bringing Law in a room, and then ushered out so that they could check him over.

Rocinante felt like he was in a daze, even when one of the doctors came out to inform him that the people who had raped Law had used condoms, because they didn't find any traces of the activities that had gone on. Rocinante seemed to come to the present a little when he was told that there were, however, faint traces found in Law's saliva and it made the blond sick to his stomach that someone would abuse Law so. That those people would even think to do that to anyone. But Rocinante could only hope that nothing came from that, because he felt that Law had been through enough with the poison he'd already had to deal with. Rocinante felt despair and anger and guilt over not being able to be there to stop whoever it was that had abused the dark haired surgeon. That he hadn't been able to protect Law.

The blond haired officer had moved into the room that the dark haired man had been brought to, and sat in a chair as he waited for Law to wake up. And the surgeon did wake up a few hours later, and no one in the room, not the nurses or Rocinante himself, stopped Law from limping to the bathroom and locking himself in.

Rocinante's gut twisted at the sound of Law retching, and felt a new wave of fury intermixed with sorrow. The sound stopped, and was soon followed by what sounded like a very long bath before the water drained sometime later. Rocinante remained on the chair he was seated on, his gaze on his lap. He felt tears forming in his eyes, and couldn't stop them from falling as soon as Law opened the bathroom door.

The blond haired officer didn't look up because he had gotten it into his head over the past hour or so that Law was going to be mad at him for not being there to stop what had happened. For not doing something to prevent it from happening. Instead, Rocinante heard Law's limping gait and soon heard the surgeon attempt to settle on the bed in front of the chair the blond was seated on. Rocinante cried some more over the sound of Law trying and failing to find a comfortable place to sit. The blond couldn't bring himself to look at Law as the tears continued to fall. Rocinante wanted desperately wanted to give Law a hug but was not certain how the surgeon would receive it considering what he'd been forced to endure.

"Do you not want me around anymore?" Law sounded thoroughly demoralized. "Do you...want to leave?"

"What are you talking about? I am not going to leave you, and have no intention of ever doing so." Rocinante looked up sharply, the tears still flowing freely even if he was shocked that the surgeon would think to suggest that. "Especially not now. Why would you even..." Rocinante made as if to rise from the chair but stopped, genuine hurt flashing across his features when he saw Law flinch back at his movement. It made Rocinante cry even harder.

What the hell else had those people done to Law that the surgeon would act as if Rocinante was going to harm him as well? The blond haired officer was horrified to even think that Law could possibly believe he would ever do anything to him against his will.

"I…" Law apparently noticed his reaction to Rocinante. He'd clearly seen the expression on the blond's face as an ashamed look appeared on his features and the surgeon looked away. "I want to get some sleep."

Rocinante slowly and carefully rose from the chair before he settled on the bed with some distance between himself and Law. He was only briefly confused when Law didn't move over to him before he felt like an absolute fool. He wondered if the surgeon had meant for him to leave so that he could sleep, and it hurt to think that Law might not even be able to sleep with him in the same room.

"Law?" Rocinante looked over at the dark haired man anxiously and what he saw made his concern rise. Law was not meeting his gaze.

"Why won't you touch me?" The surgeon cut himself off as his hands gripped his pants tightly. "Is it because-"

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable after what you've been through." Rocinante cut in softly as he carefully moved a little closer to Law as he gaged the other man's reaction. When the surgeon didn't move the blond gently wrapped his arms around him. There was another flinch and it was as if Law thought to jerk himself away before he'd stopped himself. Rocinante loosened his grasp immediately to allow Law the freedom to pull away. "I don't want to hurt you more if...touching you makes you react like this."

Law didn't say anything. He just took a deep breath before he stared rather transparently up at Rocinante for some time. Apparently coming to some internal decision, Law squeezed his eyes shut as he made some choked sound before he leaned forward to bury his face against Rocinante's chest.

And started to cry.

Rocinante held Law closer, startled that the surgeon was crying. He couldn't remember the last time Law had cried, apart from the time he had spoken of his sister. Law just didn't seem to cry otherwise, as if he had no reason to do so. Rocinante kept his arms loose around Law's back and the blond soon couldn't help but begin to really cry in earnest, his voice a choked sob.

"I'm so sorry."

Law gripped the sweater he was crying in to like he was never going to let go and the action made the blond sob even more than he already was.

-x-

The blond haired officer waited until Law had cried himself to sleep before carefully draping a blanket over him. Rocinante's own tears had slowed to a manageable level until they were gone all together as he began to gather his thoughts. Then, with grim expression, the blond rose a short distance and took out his phone.

With a deep breath, Rocinante pulled up a screen and texted Doflamingo. _'Do you realize what you've done?'_

_'Don't trouble me with such trivial things, Roci. I have more important matters to attend to thanks to your meddling coworkers.'_

Rocinante grit his teeth at the dismissive response that his brother sent him, and supposed that it was good that Doflamingo didn't understand. Didn't understand that he had completely and utterly crossed a line with what he had had done to Law this time around. And Rocinante would make sure that when the time was right, his brother would regret ever putting Law though such a traumatizing hell.


	61. Chapter 61

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'll get this fic finished here soon, since I'm just editing here and there for the rest of the chapters. And there will be more angst with some fluff (which carries over into the sequel, which I will likely post over here as well).

Rocinante knew that, as soon as they returned home the next day, he was back to square one regarding any intimacy with Law, kisses included. And the blond haired man had felt this way because the surgeon had immediately shied away from him that morning when the two of them had woken up. It happened again on the train ride home when Law changed seats so that he was not sitting directly next to Rocinante, and was even a seat back to keep an eye on everyone on the train in front of him.

And even though some of the actions the surgeon made were not overly obvious, Rocinante could tell that Law was uncomfortable. Around _him_. The blond haired officer was upset over Law's actions but because he understood why the surgeon was acting as he was Rocinante allowed him the space he clearly needed. Especially when they got back to the house. It still hurt Rocinante to see and feel Law flinch away from him whenever the blond happened to pass by him at home or even attempted to comfort him in any way. Rocinante soon learned to not approach Law from anywhere but from where he could see him, after the surgeon had freaked out completely when Rocinante had come up to him from behind. Law had only calmed marginally because it was Rocinante who was there, but it didn't prevent the surgeon from going upstairs and lurking in his bedroom for a time.

The blond haired man was emotionally torn over this, because Rocinante believed that Law had to have known that he never would have done what those other people had done to him. That Rocinante would never harm him, and Law had to have known that since they'd been together for nearly three years. Although Rocinante still felt guilt whenever he thought of the one time he had not stopped a make out session, despite Law asking him to do so, after a run in with Kidd at the beach.

And it made Rocinante unhappy with himself.

Rocinante hoped that Law had not held it against him since it had never happened again. But as time went by, the officer began to worry that perhaps Law did have that in mind when the surgeon had started to avoid him altogether for about a week, a few days after they had returned from their vacation. And when that stopped and Law had taken to being in his presence again, Rocinante decided he would find ways to make things easier on the surgeon.

The blond haired officer didn't want to push Law or upset him further, so the blond even took to sleeping in the spare bedroom to allow Law his space. Rocinante had made the decision to do so when he realized what had happened had more of an effect on the surgeon than he had originally believed. Rocinante had made the decision to sleep in the other room because he had realized, a few days after their return, that Law was not at all able to sleep in the same room as him. At least, not without waking in a blind panic until he realized that it was only Rocinante that was there with him, and even then it took some time for the surgeon to calm himself.

It made Rocinante cry, and he hated to see the torture that crossed Law's face as if the surgeon had done something wrong. That making the blond cry through his actions was something he shouldn't have done. Rocinante attempted to make sure that Law didn't think that he had done something wrong, even if the surgeon also seemed to think that he in the wrong for forcing the blond haired man to sleep in another room of the house.

Rocinante had tried to tell Law time and again that the only reason he'd gone to sleep in another room of the house was because he didn't want to make the surgeon uncomfortable. That he wanted to be with Law, would love to sleep in the same room as him, but he didn't want to be there if the surgeon couldn't sleep because of his presence. And Rocinante made Law know that it was a temporary thing. That he still wanted to be with him, that he cared about him and that was why he was doing what he was doing, to make things easier on Law. Rocinante wasn't sure right now if the surgeon understood that, but he hadn't argued for or against the action. He'd merely given a vague nod of his head, but Law seemed to be less tired in the following days, so perhaps it did help.

Or maybe Law was just exhausted because Doflamingo had started having him work again, and in the dead of winter at that. This infuriated Rocinante, because he was worried about Law possibly being cornered again and not being there to help him should he find himself in such a situation again. Rocinante was relieved that Law had seemed to sense this, because the surgeon texted him when he was heading home, whether it be from the hospital or some meeting with Doflamingo. And Rocinante would always be there to greet him at the door, unless his own work called him way. Because Rocinante wanted to show Law that he was there to support him in any way he could. Including trying to pin Doflamingo down with a crime. The dark haired surgeon seemed to be relieved that the Rocinante was still trying to dig up dirt on Doflamingo in roundabout ways.

Yet Law still avoided being in Rocinante's presence for the most part despite his and the blond's obvious reluctance to do so.

Rocinante didn't try to get more time to spend with Law, as much as he wanted it, because he knew that it would take time for the surgeon to recover from his ordeal that he had been forced to go through, and that the trauma would take some time to fade away to an unpleasant memory. But Rocinante had been proud of Law for, however discreetly, seeking out some form of therapy. And that the surgeon had told Rocinante a few weeks into that to let Penguin and Shachi know what had happened, but to tell them to not fuss over him.

Because Law didn't want them to.

Rocinante did as asked in the least graphic way possible. The blond was relieved that Law's roommates and his too, Rocinante mused, since he did live with them now too, didn't obviously fuss over their friend. Instead, Penguin made excuses to hang out with Law when the surgeon chose to leave the house outside of work while Shachi cheerfully tried to engage him in the house when he wasn't otherwise occupied. The red head still had a few months of house arrest to go through, but Shachi had apparently decided to not be upset over it. He clearly cared more about Law's well-being than what he'd gotten himself into for helping him, which Shachi had told Rocinante some time back that it had been worth it. That being charged with some consequences meant nothing because Law was all right. And would be again, after all that he had been through.

Rocinante was surprised that Shachi could be serious when need be, and joke around in a way that made Law comfortable enough to crack a wry smile now and again. Rocinante felt that Law appeared to know what was going on but was fine with Shachi and Penguin's actions because they were not asking him any prying questions into what had happened to him.

-x-

Days began to fade into weeks, and soon, toward the end of winter, was the time of Rocinante and Law's three year anniversary of being together. It fell on a weekend this year, and it would have been perfect because neither of them worked that day.

The blond hared officer had desperately wanted to take Law out to a nice restaurant, but the day he wanted to go Law retuned home with a grim look on his face. Rocinante knew in an instant that Law must be returning from meeting with his brother somewhere, and the happy little thought of cheering Law up was dashed as the surgeon silently toed his shoes off, went up the stairs to the second floor, and locked himself in his room.

Rocinante looked up the stairs in the direction of the closed door with a sad expression but the blond knew better than to try to go and comfort Law. He'd tired before and it didn't seem to help, since no matter how much Law seemed to want it, he couldn't accept being hugged or anything of the sort from the blond haired man. Rocinante dejectedly trailed off to the dining room, because even though Law had not been cooking lately, Rocinante didn't dare venture into the kitchen unless it was to get something out of the refrigerator. The blond didn't want to add to Law's stress by burning the entire kitchen down by trying to cook something. Rocinante sat down and sighed as he ran a hand over his face. He had been so very lonely since he and Law had returned home from their vacation, but Rocinante was not going to push Law to do anything. He wasn't going to push at all. He would wait until Law made up his mind with what he wanted to do, and when he wanted to do it. Rocinante had seen Law shooting him furtive glances over the past few days, but didn't get his hopes up over it.

Rocinante started at the dining room table glumly. When he thought about it, he spoke more to Law's roommates than the surgeon himself these past few weeks. And he could tell that the two men were trying to cheer him up by trying to distract him over the fact that Law was being so skittish.

Or a sarcastic asshole, which intrigued Rocinante because it wasn't directed at him, and he wondered what that meant, if anything.

With another sigh that it wasn't any time near dinner, Rocinante rose and went to the bedroom on the lower level of the house. The officer wasn't sure what to do that day with his free time, as he normally would have been cuddling or talking with Law by now since he was done with work and so was the dark haired surgeon. Eventually the blond settled for sitting down on the recliner chair in the room and attempting to read something. And when his interest was lost in that book, he just sat there and turned over thoughts in his mind. Rocinante wasn't sure how long he sat there, but he soon became aware of the fact that the door had opened. The blond turned his head curiously, and froze in place when he saw that it was Law.

The dark haired surgeon stood in the doorway and seemed content to just stare at him with a blank expression.

Rocinante sat up a little straighter anyway as he became alert as he cautiously looked Law over and waited. When Law said nothing, Rocinante looked down at the floor and fidgeted as a very uncomfortably long silence stretched. He wasn't sure what was going on but felt that he may scare Law off if he made any move to get up. And then he heard the surgeon speak quietly.

"Cora?"

Rocinante felt his heart race a little at the name, thrilled because he hadn't heard the word spoken to him since they'd been on vacation. It was stupid but it made Rocinante so very happy to hear Law say that to him. The blond peeked up at Law hesitantly in return, and watched as the dark hared surgeon took a deep breath and let it out before he spoke haltingly.

"Would you…kiss me?"

Rocinante perked up at that. After nearly three months of no kissing or intimacy of any kind that sounded very, very nice, but he was uncertain how Law would feel about it, even if he had asked for it.

"Cora?"

"I would love to kiss you." Rocinante murmured as he looked away, even though he felt happy that Law had said the name he'd come up with for him again. "I miss waking up next to you in the morning." The blond started when Law settled on the arm of the recliner to be eye level with Rocinante. The blond turned to face the surgeon, took a look at Law's face, before his expression softened and Rocinante spoke softly. "Can I…touch you when we kiss? Just your cheeks or something, not your shoulders or-"

"Yes." Law said shortly after he took another breath and let it out.

Rocinante carefully lifted his hands to caress either side of Law's hairline before he leaned forward to give the surgeon a feather light kiss. Rocinante felt troubled when Law shook and let out a small gasp into that kiss. The blond immediately drew back to give Law a sad smile. "I'm sorry."

Law's own expression became troubled as he reached up and, with a slight shake to his hands, held Rocinante's in place. "Are you…all right?"

"I still just can't imagine someone hurting you so." Rocinante said vaguely as he looked Law over.

"That doesn't answer my question." The surgeon pointed out with a ghost of a smile as his fingertips absently trailed along the blond's.

"I'm lonely without you around, but I don't want to pressure you into spending time with me if you still need space." Rocinante admitted, his smile still so very sorrowful. The blond was fairly certain that he had started to tear up. "I would love nothing more then for things to go back to how they were, but I do not want to think to do any of that until you're ready for it again."

Law's troubled look morphed into a guilty one, like he had done something wrong.

"Don't." Rocinante said as distress seeped into his voice at the thought of Law feeling any guilt over their relationship not being back to normal. Not back to what they had had. "It's not your fault. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable around me. I don't want you to feel as if I will hurt you when I try to touch you." Rocinante gently, ever so gently, took Law's hands in his own and placed brief kiss on each of them. "So please, don't push yourself for my sake. I want you to take care of yourself first before you think about us, all right?"

The guilt turned into relief. Law silently tugged his hands that were within Rocinante's grasp, and appeared surprised that the blond immediately let go. Law hesitated for a moment, before he reached out with his hands and wore a set expression as he trailed them lightly along Rocinante's cheeks.

The blond's eyes slid shut to enjoy the sensation because he wasn't sure when it would happen again. But Rocinante was completely taken aback when Law's lips were suddenly against his in what was a firmer kiss than the one that he had given the surgeon moments earlier. The touch left soon after the surgeon's lips did and when Rocinante opened his eyes, it was to see Law slipping out of the room.

Rocinante couldn't prevent the tears from falling this time around because of the feeling of the kiss that Law had given him. He could tell just from that one kiss that Law wanted things back to normal as well but couldn't bring himself to allow it to happen.

Not yet.

Rocinante cried some more even if he felt selfish for doing so. He just missed Law's presence so much but he was going to be extra careful that he did not scare Law in any way while he was recovering. The officer didn't want to drive the surgeon away. Rocinante felt that he would be lucky to even sleep in the same room as Law again sometime, let alone touch him.

So Rocinante held on to the memory of that kiss and told himself that eventually things would return to normal. That he just had to be patient and help Law in any way he could until that time arrived.

-x-

Rocinante received some good news one week later, even if the nature of that news was regarding something unpleasant. There had been some arrests made for some of the people who had taken part in raping Law those few months ago, but from what the surgeon had let slip, there were still more of them on the loose. And Rocinante wasn't about to let them stay out on the street if he could help it. Not only did the officer want to build up solid evidence that Doflamingo had ordered them to go and corner Law, but he wanted to get them to pay for what they had put the surgeon through.

The blond haired officer saw red for the next two weeks because there were some scumbags that were making it clear that they had done something to Law, or at least had known about it, but neither the police nor Rocinante had anything to back it up with. And if Rocinante tried to do anything, those people were liable to go snitch to Doflamingo, even though none of these lowlife bastards he'd cornered the past few days had ever made the mention of his brother's name.

But Rocinante knew.

He knew that these people harassing him had to be linked to his brother in some way. And Rocinante hated that these assholes were taunting him with the full knowledge that he couldn't do anything unless he could arrest them. And as Rocinante had no solid evidence of their involvement, nothing less than a DNA test would confirm anything And since they hadn't broken any laws that he was aware of to give him an excuse to drag them into the station, he couldn't touch them.

Rocinante almost went after them anyway, but did not want to get arrested himself. So, after giving it thought, Rocinante knew that if he wanted the rest of the people behind bars he was going to have to enlist some help. And as loathe as he was to do so, the blond haired officer decided that there was at least one person he could think of that might be able to pull off getting to those people. To be able to get dirt on them to get them arrested.

Eustass Kidd.

The only problem Rocinante had would be locating the red haired man and convincing him to do some shady undercover work for him. But since Rocinante knew that Kidd probably still liked Law, even if he knew better than to think he could date him, it would follow that the red head would be interested in helping arrest the rest of the people who had abused Law.

And when Rocinante finally located Kidd, the blond haired officer was rather taken aback at just how strongly the red head was into the idea of just cracking some skulls instead of allowing the police to make arrests.

 

 


	62. Chapter 62

Kidd couldn't believe that Rocinante had let Law get ganged up on like that, and the red head had wasted no time in taking what information Rocinante had to go on. The blond's face had been hilarious, like he hadn't thought that Kidd would have gotten so angry over what had happened.  But Rocinante had done what he could to get Kidd up to date on the people he suspected were likely the culprits, and had let him go off on his own to see what he could find.

The red head grinned eerily to himself, his fists clenching subconsciously over the thought of what he could do to those people should he find them.  Kidd knew that he would have no issue driving the other bastards out of hiding that were responsible for what had happened to Law. And Kidd did so with no remorse whatsoever as he scoured the city and beat up a few punks in order to find their leaders. The red head had taken out some anger on those assholes instead of the ones that Rocinante wanted found, because the blond had been clear that it would be Kidd who would be arrested instead of the other way around for assault. Kidd was annoyed that Rocinante didn't want to just off the sons of bitches that had done _that_ to Law, and instead wanted to arrest them. When he was reminded of Rocinante being a cop, the red head had quieted down, but had not made the promise that he wouldn't rough those people up should he come across them.

And the most recent victim of his fists was curled up on the ground broken and bloody and sobbing his head off in fright of the red head looming over him. As if he wasn't a complete and utter scumbag for trying to hold back information about another asshole was just begging to be gutted.

Kidd hated cowards. If they didn't have the balls to back up their threats then they had no business being a criminal in the first place. And this spineless bastard curled up on the ground in front of him was quick to give Kidd the information he wanted. The red head gave the guy another kick to warn him off from reaching for a gun, and the sniveling coward had crawled off down the street and into the nearest alley to nurse a broken nose. Kidd let him. He had no business with him anyway now that he had the information he wanted. 

With a grimace of annoyance Kidd wiped his hands off and prowled off down the streets.  The red head wiped his hands again and looked around the immediate area as he walked, and sincerely hoped that no other cop, or Killer, for that matter, caught wind of what he was doing.  Because making bloody and battered bodies litter the street was not going to endear him to law enforcement, no matter the reasons he had.

Kidd didn't take much time after that latest beat down to do the rest of his rounds in the seedier parts of the city, because the red head knew that no one would fuck with him. At least not openly in broad daylight. Kidd supposed that he could see why Rocinante couldn't do it, because he was a cop and no one really liked talking to the cops in case they gave themselves up for doing something illegal. It still kind of rubbed Kidd the wrong way that Rocinante still thought he was some annoying ass punk with a dabbling in seedy shit and all that. Well, he might have been as a teenager, but he had a good job now, well, two of them, actually and Kidd wasn't going to lose those.

So, with that in mind, Kidd merely sent information to the police contact number that Rocinante had given him, which was kind of weird to Kidd that Rocinante didn't want to deal with these bastards himself. He'd have thought so based off the fact that Rocinante was obviously upset over what had happened to Law. But Kidd wasn't going to argue cop logic and just gave the names of the people and the information of what the people Rocinante was after were doing illegally, so that the cops could arrest them. The blond haired officer had said that the people would be brought in on unrelated charges before the whole thing with Law was slapped on their sorry asses.

That accomplished, Kidd went to work in a foul mood and thought perhaps today was a good day to go get few drinks at a local bar he liked. The red head's musings on the thought screeched to a halt because Trafalgar Law was standing outside the fucking tattoo shop he worked at and what the fuck was the surgeon doing there?  He wouldn't have thought the man would be in the mood to be around anyone, especially him, because the red head couldn't help but make passes at him.

"Hey doc." Kidd greeted with a customary grin. "Haven't seen you for a while." The red head had to force himself to keep his distance because if Rocinante was having difficultly getting close to Law and they were fucking dating and all that shit, then the surgeon was not going to want him to be in his space at all. "You here for another tattoo or something?" Law looked exhausted the more the red head looked him over, and the surgeon seemed to take a moment longer to answer Kidd, as if he hadn't heard him the first time.

"I want a drink." The surgeon eyed Kidd a little suspiciously over how he was acting but dismissed it as he continued. "Do you know of a place that is away from the alleys on seventh?"

"There are a couple of them, yeah." Kidd was a bit baffled. He thought Law didn't like to do social drinking, so why would he want to go to the bar? And alone, from the sound of it. It didn't seem like a very good idea, considering what had happened to him and the fact that he would be smashed and going home alone drunk.  That wouldn't be a good combination. "Aren't you gonna go with your roommates or something?"

"They're working." Law said shortly. "And I want a drink now."

"You're still kind of an asshole, you know." Kidd was confused even if he was slightly exasperated. "You gonna go alone?"

"What are you trying to say?" The surgeon's voice had taken on a darker tone.

"Shit, I was just wonderin'. I was going to see if Killer wanted to go get a drink because I wanted one." Kidd ran a hand absently through his hair. "And if you wanted, you can go with us. I was going to go to the cheap but good bar down the street."

Law stared at Kidd as if assessing his words and deciding whether or not to believe him.

Kidd decided that the dark haired man was still fucking weird as hell most of the time. Like he didn't know how to interact with people very well. It wasn't like Kidd was going to flirt with Law if they went out to drink. Kidd knew better than to do that now. When Rocinante had caved in when he 'd approached him before and told the red head what had happened, the officer had immediately followed it up by threatening to cut his balls off if he ever told the dark haired surgeon he had told him that.

Kidd liked his balls where they were so he said nothing of the fact that Law was giving him a blank, odd look. Nor did he suggest he go drink at home.

"Very well." Law said in a bland tone. "Why don't you go get Killer then?"

"He might not want to go." Kidd warned. "I just got here, you know."

Law said nothing; he just continued to stare at Kidd, though the red head wondered if he was looking at him or if the surgeon was distracted by whatever was on his mind.

Nope, Law was still as weird as ever.

"You can come in if you want. He might be busy." Kidd stated. The red head went into the tattoo parlor, and was a bit further weirded out by the fact that Law said nothing as he followed along after him. At least he lingered near the front desk as Kidd went to go and locate Killer. And as he went to find his blond haired friend, Kidd mused over the fact that Law was a hard one to figure out. Kidd just wondered why it was that Law wasn't giving this more thought. The surgeon certainly seemed to have done so when he'd gotten that tattoo of his, but right now?

Law was just lucky that Kidd happened to be interested in his well-being for now, and was not looking to take advantage of him if the surgeon happened to get drunk for two reasons. The first was that Kidd would rather have Law be genuinely interested in him, and the second, more important reason to behave himself was the threat of Rocinante potentially causing him bodily harm should Kidd do anything...unscrupulous.

The red head didn't even have the mind to try anything because he soon had his hands full fending off assholes in the bar. And Kidd had done so when he had seen just how much Law was interested in getting himself completely hammered.

-x-

Law knew that he shouldn't go out and drink, but after that last meeting with Doflamingo, where he had had to watch someone die before his eyes in a rather slow manner, he was stressed out and needed something to calm his nerves. The surgeon frowned darkly at his drink at the thought of his most recent conversation with Doflamingo.

_'Fufufufu. Are you sure you don't want to go out to get a drink?'_

_'I am going to go home.'_

_'It's just a drink. It's not like you haven't gone out with my brother for one before.'_

_'We go out to eat. Not drink.'_

_'Shame. I bet you'd be less stiff with a few drinks in you.'_

_'I'm leaving.'_

_'Another time then.'_

Law took another drink. Doflamingo was being a sly bastard, taunting him about Rocinante. But Law knew that even when he had too much to drink, the blond haired officer would never do anything to him in that state. He hadn't up in the lodge, so Law knew that should he go out to drink like he was now, and go home, Rocinante would not do anything other than try to help him to his room. To let him sleep it off. Law knew that Rocinante would not have forced himself on him as those other men had. Would never have hurt him like that.

Rocinante...

Law also needed to distract himself from the fact that he was neglecting Rocinante, and had been for these past few months since he'd been-

The dark haired surgeon took another few sips of his drink. He knew that Rocinante was being very patient with him right now since it was obvious that Rocinante was taking into consideration how he felt and not what the blond himself was feeling or needed. And Doflamingo, with his demands to come and help him with another 'Surgeon of Death' fatality was cutting into his time to attempt to get to speak to the officer.

Another drink, another regret.

Law felt he should not have been so distant with Rocinante upon their return from their vacation, but he needed time to process all that had happened. 

Another drink, and it made the surgeon begin to feel that he was being stupid for pushing the blond from him for these past few months.  Pushing one of the few people who wanted nothing more than to help him.  To comfort him.  To make those bad memories go away.

Another drink, and Law pushed those unwanted memories away from the tail end of the trip to the countryside.

The touches he'd been subjected to.

The humiliation.

The pain.

The regret.

Law drank them all away to forget temporarily because today he didn't want them to intrude upon him. The dark haired surgeon ended up drinking so much that he nearly ended up passing out. But at the very least, the memories were now distant and fuzzy with the alcoholic haze his mind had become. But in that haze, Law missed the fact that Kidd all but glowered at anyone who should even think to look at the dark haired surgeon or dare to even step too close.  And when Law sagged against Kidd, he allowed the red head to take the half drunk glass out of his hand.

Perhaps he had to much to drink, but Law couldn't help but wonder why Kidd didn't try anything, though he had to stare up in the red head's general direction when another glass was pressed into his hands.

There was an eye roll in return, and a lazy drawl from Kidd.

"I ain't drugging you.  It's water."

Water.

Law took a few gulps of the cool drink, but when those memories started to edge back in, he leaned over and set the glass of water on the table and retrieved a bottle of alcohol.  Whatever look he threw Kidd when the red head tried to stop him confused Law, but the addition of more alcohol made him dismiss it.

Because the dark haired surgeon highly doubted Kidd had the capacity to be concerned over anything.

Things became a blur after that.

-x-

Rocinante was worried because Law had not yet texted him that he was coming home, and it was getting late. It was the first time in a long while that the surgeon hadn't texted him.

"Are you sure he didn't say anything to you about staying out late?" Shachi asked when he realized the blond was becoming more concerned by the minute.

Rocinante shook his head wordlessly. He'd received nothing that day, and it made him very concerned that something might have happened to Law.

"I'm getting a call from him." Penguin said into the silence of the living room.

Rocinante lifted his head and watched as Penguin answered the phone. Hurt crossed his features as he wondered why Law had chosen to call Penguin and not himself. The thought fled when the other man's face became a bit grim, before he hung up.

"Law?" Rocinante asked simply.

Penguin let out a low sigh before he fixed the blond haired officer with a look. "He was out drinking."

Rocinante blinked. "With some of his coworkers?" That would be fine with him so long as Law would-

"He went with Killer and Kidd." Penguin replied.

"What?" Rocinante furrowed his brow. Why would Law…

Penguin must have seen something in Rocinante's expression that he didn't like, because he cut into the blond's thoughts sharply. "Do not get angry with Law, Rocinante. It sounds like he is drunk and therefore, you will be unable to reason with him. If you get upset with him it will only upset Law further. So please, just go bring him inside and let him sleep it off before you go asking him any questions."

Rocinante supposed that Penguin meant asking Law why he had gone out to drink with Kidd of all people. The blond struggled with himself for a moment before he let out a long breath and gave a single nod. "Are they close?"

"Yes. They should be here in about ten minutes." Penguin responded.

Rocinante passed by both Shachi and Penguin as he went outside to wait, the blond's expression troubled.

-x-

Kidd saw someone standing in the doorway of the surgeon's house and saw that it was Rocinante. The red head cursed something before he muttered to Law under his breath. "Your fucking boyfriend better not kill me for this."

Law made some nonsensical sound and leaned heavier against the red head. He'd been doing that most of the walk back from the bar, and didn't seem inclined to care one way or another what the blond haired officer might or might not do to Kidd.

"The things I'm doing for you.  Ungrateful bastard."  Kidd grumbled under his breath.  "Just don't let him cut my balls off."  The red head received what might have been some sort of giggle, which was terrifying because he wouldn't have expected to hear something like that from Law.  Kidd shook his head.  "Shouldn't get so drunk, doc.  Makes you a friggin' weirdo.  Well, more than usual."  The red head walked up the sidewalk where they were met halfway by Rocinante, who looked to be both concerned and furious at the same time.

Kidd carefully handed Law off to Rocinante, since even he could tell that the blond did not like the way that Law hung off of his shoulder. The red head watched as the dark haired surgeon, after a brief moment of figuring out what was going on, latched himself onto Rocinante as the new person who would help him in his quest to remain up on his feet. Kidd could tell that Rocinante appeared pleased by how close Law was to him, but also very obviously upset with the state the surgeon was in.

"He said he wanted to have a drink. I figured he shouldn't go alone." Kidd said as he turned and started to walk away. "I let him have at it and made sure that no other drunks bothered him. Killer was there too. He was the one that called." Kidd made all haste down the sidewalk and back in the direction of his own home just in case Rocinante took issue with him for some reason or another. 

-x-

Rocinante said absolutely nothing as he carefully led Law back into the house, and to their…Law's, room upstairs. Rocinante was grateful that Penguin had been around to help with that process because Rocinante himself had trouble going up those stairs completely sober, and needed at least one hand on the railing lest he fall over and take Law with him.

Once they'd made it up Penguin left them alone, and Rocinante guided Law into the bedroom. And was completely taken aback when Law pulled him onto the bed with him and started to leave a searing trail of kisses along his neck in what appeared to be a desperate way. Rocinante squirmed in surprise and even though he loved it, he knew that Law was not completely in his right mind. Gently, Rocinante stopped Law from kissing him, and held him to his chest in a snug hug, and spoke. "Stop, Law. Don't do this. You've had too much to drink." It seemed that was enough to get Law to crack and Rocinante bit back tears himself when the surgeon started running his mouth in a drunken ramble, clearly unhappy at being stopped.

"I don't know what to do." Law sagged against the blond. "Want you, but I can't..." Law mumbled haltingly. "Think too much about what happened. Want you to touch me but I don't want to be." Law turned over and buried his face against Rocinante's chest. "Love you. Don't want to push you away. Doflamingo probably wants that. He's been…hinting it when I see him. Taunting me." Law gripped the sweater Rocinante wore. "Tired. I'm tired of being blackmailed into helping him. But I want to protect you. Protect Shachi. Penguin…" Law pressed himself closer, his voice dropping into a whisper. "Don't want you to be hurt."

Rocinante couldn't help but cry at the hopelessness in Law's voice as he carefully hugged the dark haired man despite the faint flinch it drew from the surgeon. But Law didn't tell him to let go of him so the blond held on. "Please wait until you're sober to talk to me."

"Don't go." Law said as panic seeped into the slurred words when he seemed to realize that Rocinante was drawing back. "Don't go. Don't leave me alone."

"Won't you be mad at me if you wake up and I'm here?" Rocinante asked worriedly as he attempted to get off the bed.

"Stay." Law insisted as he stubbornly wrapped one arm around Rocinante's waist.

Rocinante was thrilled to actually have Law hugging him and being in the same room after a little over three months. But Rocinante was concerned that the surgeon would be upset with him when he woke up and didn't have any impairments from the alcohol. But Rocinante couldn't bring himself to leave because Law had asked him to stay.

So he did, despite any consequences that might come from it.

-x-

Law woke up with a terrible hangover.

It was something that he did not want to make a habit of. It did terrible things to his body's coordination, and by the time Law figured out which way was up, he merely ended up on the bed again. And held still. He wasn't sure if he would be up for getting to the bathroom without falling flat on his face. Law's stomach churned a bit, and he let out a slow breath.

It seemed he would have to make the attempt.

Law lurched out of his bed and the sudden motion nearly made him fall over. But he never hit the ground because an arm loop around the surgeon's middle. Law flailed for a moment before he steadied himself, his mind struggling to figure out what it wanted to do about that touch. A voice interrupted those thoughts.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?'

Law relaxed minutely upon realizing the person holding him was Rocinante. And before he could think to shy away from the other man's touch, his stomach gave painful twinge. The surgeon ended up nodding his head wordlessly, and was grateful for Rocinante's support to the bathroom. He might have just thrown up all over the floor if he couldn't have gotten to the bathroom under his own power. Law heaved over the toilet and decided that he had had a bit too much to drink. And on the tail end of that thought the surgeon wondered why the blond wasn't leaving him to it because it was rather humiliating to be seen in this state. Law usually was not one to drink so much. The surgeon felt something tug at his chest when he felt Rocinante running one of his hands soothingly along his back. Law should have known that Rocinante wouldn't leave. He was too nice to think to leave the surgeon in his own misery. It was also rather sweet of Rocinante to think to hold back his hair even though Law didn't think his hair would have really gotten in the way. But the blond's touch remained as the man himself waited patiently.

At least, Rocinante's touch was there until Law was done emptying his guts of all of that alcohol. Or what had not yet digested. The hand on his back and his hair had left as soon as Law was finished with the toilet. The dark haired surgeon heard Rocinante pad back into the bedroom. Law hastily cleaned up before going after him, because he figured that the blond haired officer was going to leave the room and Law didn't want him to go.

Not now.

Not when Law wasn't silently and immediately freaking out over the other man's presence. It was progress and Law didn't want to lose that. Didn't want to push Rocinante away any more than he already had. The dark haired surgeon caught Rocinante partway toward the door and steered the quietly protesting blond back to the bed and urged him back onto it.

"Law?" Rocinante asked, trying to catch the surgeon's eyes.

"Lay back down." Law stated, and when he heard the blond do so, he slid onto the bed, and with a short exhalation, curled up next to Rocinante. When Law didn't feel as if he was going to shy away from the blond, he spoke again before his mind could tell him to stop. "Hold me?" Law was surprised at how quickly Rocinante acquiesced to the request, even if the surgeon could tell that the officer was being careful to give him the opportunity to pull away from him if need be.

Law squeezed his eyes shut briefly as he took a deep breath and let it out. He felt Rocinante tentatively begin to trail his hand reassuringly along his back as he had been doing in the bathroom. Law let out a faint sound as he buried his face against Rocinante's chest as the touch made him admit to something he'd known. And then the dark haired surgeon found himself feeling foolish.

Why?

Why would he have ever thought that Rocinante would hurt him? Why would he ever think that Rocinante would abuse him as those other men had? Do something that he didn't want to do? Law felt that the only reason that Rocinante was in the room at all right to begin with was because he must have asked Rocinante to stay while he'd been clearly drunk off his ass.

And Rocinante, despite the feeling that the dark haired surgeon might be upset with him, had stayed because he had been asked to. Because Rocinante was a sweetheart and Law really didn't believe that he deserved such a patient partner. It was obvious that the blond haired officer clearly missed holding and being close to him, since it seemed like he was reluctant to let him go right now. But Rocinante also appeared to be willing to let go if Law needed him to, and in that moment the dark haired surgeon couldn't believe he'd ever thought that the blond would-

"Law?" Rocinante sounded worried.

Law pressed his face further against Rocinante's chest as one hand rested hesitantly over the blond's waist. Law stilled as the blond returned the gesture with the hand that had been gently caressing his back. Law took another deep breath and let it out, and then squirmed out of Rocinante's grasp in order to lean up and peck the blond on the cheek. To see that look in the other's eyes…it made Law want to reassure the other man that he wanted to try. Wanted to try and stay like this a little while. To not flinch away from Rocinante because he wasn't going to hurt him.

"Cora?" Law felt that the blond looked hopeful about being able to at least be in his presence if nothing else. To be near to him when he could, if the surgeon happened to be up to it. Law rested his arm more heavily over Rocinante's waist at the thought. He couldn't remember the last time that he had slept alongside Rocinante. It seemed like such a long time ago when it was likely only about three months. And even that seemed like a long time. Law held still as the blond haired officer reached up with his hand to lightly run it through his hair before a light kiss was placed on his forehead. The surgeon lifted his head in time to see that Rocinante was looking at him with a saddened look in his eyes. Law was surprised when Rocinante let him go altogether.

"Do you need me to leave?" Rocinante asked softly as he began to gently ease further way.

"No." The dark haired surgeon said as he reached out and gripped the blond's arm. "Stay here."

"I was worried about you when you didn't come back home last night." Rocinante said after a moment after he had settled back down on the bed with a broken little smile. "When you didn't text me like you have been when you've been headed home...I thought...I thought something might have happened to you."

Guilt swept through Law at the statement. He'd completely forgotten to text Rocinante his change in plans. The dark haired surgeon had felt at the time that if he couldn't always be with or around Rocinante while he'd been recovering and coming to terms with what had happened, he had felt that he ought to at least let the blond know that he was all right when he was out of the house and when he was heading home. Law hadn't told Rocinante, but while he might not show it when he'd come home, the surgeon had always been relieved and happy to see that Rocinante was usually there and waiting for him if he wasn't at work.

"Why did you go out to drink with Kidd?" Rocinante asked morosely. "What if he had taken advantage of the situation?"

"I…." Law trailed off. He hadn't given that any thought at the time. He'd just wanted everything to go away for a time. "I hadn't…considered that." Law admitted after a moment of thought. Then, to himself more than Rocinante, added. "I had presumed that Killer being there would make it all right." Law saw that the blond haired officer wanted to move across the bed to hug him again, but didn't, and the surgeon could tell that it was very hard for Rocinante to stop himself, but he did all the same. It made a pang of unexpected sadness go through the dark haired surgeon at the pain he was causing Rocinante by distancing himself.

"You don't want to…touch me?" Law asked before he really thought about it. The surgeon felt like a fool for asking such a thing and felt terrible when he noticed the tears. Law hated to think that he had brought the other man to tears by making such a thoughtless comment. Because he knew the answer. Knew that Rocinante was holding himself back when it came to being affectionate, and the pain was clear in the blond's voice when he spoke.

"I do, Law. I really do. I've wanted to hug or just hold you ever since we came back from vacation. I know that even if you don't always say anything, I know that you're hurting, and more than just from what happened at the lodge. Doffy probably isn't making things any easier on you." Rocinante choked back a sob as he roughly ran the back of one of his hands over his eyelids at stray tears. "But I don't want you to flinch when I touch you. I don't what to make you remember…what happened…"

"This is...fine." Law lay back down on the bed and curled up against Rocinante as he gripped the blond's sweater loosely. "This doesn't make me…remember." The dark haired surgeon pressed his face against the side of the blond's neck and breathed in the scent of stale smoke.

It was familiar.

Reassuring.

"Stay." Law insisted when he felt as if Rocinante was gong to try and draw away from him again. The surgeon couldn't keep the blond haired officer away from him indefinitely, and Law certainly didn't wish to. And right now, Rocinante was being very respectful and doing only what he had asked of him so far. "Don't leave."

"I will stay, if that's what you want me to." Rocinante said, clearly holding back  more tears at this point.

"Yes, I want you to." Law said. "So don't go anywhere."

Rocinante stayed and didn't so much as whisper as if that would somehow have made Law change his mind.

The surgeon closed his eyes. He had a pounding headache, but right now, Rocinante's presence was reassuring, and not frightening. So Law decided that it would be all right to get some rest, because Rocinante would be there to protect him. Be there when he woke up. And that's all Law wanted to see when he woke up. Rocinante, and if the surgeon was lucky, one of those smiles the blond gave him at times.

The happy one that let Law know that Rocinante was thrilled that they were together.

-x-

That Law fell asleep again in the same room with him made Rocinante hopeful again. But he doubted that things would go straight back to normal. But even just being able to be there and hold Law again without the man shying away so much from his touch made Rocinante ridiculously happy.

Rocinante nuzzled against Law's hair as he wrapped his arms loosely around the surgeon's back and let out a slow sigh. He knew that it would take time, but he was reassured that it seemed like Law was on the right track for whatever it was that he was doing to help himself. And Rocinante would help with whatever he could do. It was enough just to be there for the dark haired surgeon when he needed him.

And right now, Law had asked him to stay there with him, so Rocinante did.


	63. Chapter 63

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was the chapter with the last real bad thing that happens to Rocinante.

Rocinante was cheered by the news that he received from his fellow officers some three weeks later. The blond haired man knew that the criminals that had been captured in a sting operation recently more than likely worked for Doflamingo. While those that had been captured weren't exactly going to outright state that they worked for his brother, Rocinante knew that things were finally headed in the right direction. Even if he knew that more information would be needed in order to being Doflamingo in for questioning. It was now only a matter of time for that to happen instead of it being only a hope.

And because the police were closing in on Doflamingo, Rocinante made sure to stay out of the proceedings for the most part. The blond was worried that Doflamingo might take things out on Law, and the worry was well warranted because Rocinante received a text two days later from his brother.

' _This is your last warning,_ Corazon. _Keep the police off of my trail or I will consider Law no longer of use to me.'_

Rocinante didn't send a text back because he knew that it was an empty threat. He knew that his brother had to have found the surgeon very useful. But that didn't prevent Rocinante from worrying about anyone finding out about what was going on between Law and Doflamingo. That Law was the Surgeon of Death. Despite that, Rocinante allowed the investigation to continue, and in the meantime kept close to Law as much as the surgeon allowed him to, and warned him of Doflamingo's threat.

-x-

When Rocinante returned home the next night, he wasn't greeted by Law at the front door, as he had been the past two weeks. The officer was a bit concerned but he didn't go back outside and instead went farther into the home and into the living room. Rocinante was visibly relieved when he saw Law settled on the couch. With a smile, Rocinante crossed over to the couch and after checking to make sure that Law was all right with his presence, spoke quietly.

"Mind if I join you?" Rocinante saw Law gesture next to him without looking up from the book he was reading, so the blond sat down on the couch. Rocinante did leave a little space between himself and Law, just in case, but before the blond could even say anything, the dark haired surgeon was suddenly scooting over to press up against him.

Rocinante held perfectly still, surprised, and twitched slightly when Law slowly reached over to take a hold of one of his hands. The blond waited to see what would happen, and smiled when he saw the surgeon use his other hand to start to trace the hand he held. Rocinante carefully leaned over and kissed Law on the cheek. "You are okay with this?"

"Yes." The surgeon said as he continued to trace patterns on the back of Rocinante's hand. "I don't want to push you away by ignoring you. Or hiding from you, when you haven't done anything wrong..."

"I just wanted to give you space." Rocinante said softly. "I didn't want to scare you away."

"And I appreciated the space." Law said after a moment. "But I don't think that I should be neglecting you as much as I have been."

"I don't feel neglected." Rocinante replied. "I understand why you were distancing yourself."

"I may still need some space….but…" Law held onto the blond's hand tightly. "This is fine."

Rocinante contented himself by staying there on the couch with Law until the surgeon wanted to get up for dinner. The kiss to his cheek before Law up and left for the other room made Rocinante very happy, as did the small smile that the surgeon offered him from across the dining room table later on.

-x-

As the days passed, Rocinante felt that Law appeared to become stretched thin from his work as a surgeon at the hospital and as the Surgeon of Death for Doflamingo. Rocinante felt that he had to do something, and since cuddling was mostly out of the question as was giving the other man a massage, the blond haired officer had to think of something else.

Anything.

And after feeling a bit silly at the thought that occurred to him, Rocinante checked when his and Law's next day off together was, and when there weren't any for him for some time, Rocinante took a day off to coincide with Law's a few days from now. And in that time, Rocinante hoped to cheer Law up as much as he could. And the blond haired officer chose the location that had come to mind before, as he felt that it would get a reaction out of Law.

Rocinante wasn't disappointed in that regard as he got exactly the response he wanted from the dark haired surgeon.

-x-

"An amusement park? Really?" Law gave the place he and Rocinante were approaching a skeptical once over. "We are not children anymore, Cora." Law didn't shy away from Rocinante taking his hand and giving it a squeeze, and also couldn't help but smile at Rocinante's clearly excited expression.

"Come on Law, it'll be fun!" Rocinante said cheerfully. He gave Law's hand another squeeze before he let go and tugged the surgeon's sleeve instead as he pointed something out. "No one cares that we're too old." Rocinante smiled brightly over the fact that Law had given him a small, tiny smile and had turned away with a shake of his head. Rocinante grinned mischievously and with a firmer grip on Law's sweater, tugged and started to lead the dark haired surgeon around.

Rocinante wasted no time in leading Law around to all the rides he felt he could get the surgeon to go on, and was sure to remember to smile the entire time even if it earned him some odd looks from other people. Except for Law, and that was the only person's opinion that Rocinante cared about. And as soon as Rocinante noticed that Law was growing weary of the rides, the blond led the surgeon over to the small area of the park where he began to try and win a prize at a stand, and won a few with a precision that made Law smile more genuinely. At one point, Rocinante dropped a ball at the sight but won the game anyway after it made him try harder after being given an encouraging smile.

With an impish smile of his own, Rocinante pressed a small, stuffed polar bear plushy into Law's hands. Rocinante knew that the surgeon liked it from the small blush the other man had across his cheeks, even if Law was unlikely to ever admit that he liked the toy.

It was a lighthearted few hours and Rocinante was feeling exhilarated that his plan was working. Law appeared to be more relaxed than he had been before and it made the blond feel a private victory, even if he knew it would not last for long. But Rocinante was just so happy to see Law smile so much, even if it was only the occasional smirk.

-x-

Early evening came around and by then Rocinante and Law had already had dinner and had gone on to eating some cotton candy that Rocinante had decided they ought to have.

Rocinante was currently making his way through the rest of Law's cotton candy that the surgeon hadn't finished. Even though Rocinante had already had some cotton candy of his own, he polished off the rest of Law's cotton candy because he hadn't wanted it to go to waste. Unfortunately, the officer's stomach didn't want all of it.

Law hastily ushered Rocinante to the edge of the amusement park, but didn't make it to the trash.

Rocinante fell over instead because he tripped on something and the shock of the fall caused him to empty out his stomach of all the sugar it had ingested. Rocinante felt rather embarrassed once he got it all out, as he hated to waste food.

"Are you all right, Cora?" Law asked as his hand brushed the blond's back lightly.

Rocinante made a faint sound before he lifted his head and half glanced to the side with an embarrassed expression.

"What's that look for?" The surgeon asked.

"I didn't mean to get sick like that." Rocinante said. He didn't get a chance to say more than that because Law was suddenly in front of him and then kissing him.

Kissing him.

"L…Law! Wait." Rocinante protested as soon as the surgeon drew back briefly. "My breath is bad after-"

The dark haired surgeon cut Rocinante off by kissing him again and then, in a bold move, swiped his tongue across the blond's lips before delving into Rocinante's mouth after the officer had parted his lips in a gasp of surprise.

Rocinante was smiling by the time Law released him from the kiss. The blond reached out to lightly caress Law's cheeks with his fingertips, thrilled that the surgeon allowed it.

"No eating that much cotton candy again." Law said with a faint smirk. "I don't want you to get sick like that again."

"I won't." Rocinante said with a short laugh. As the blond haired man rose and took Law's hand to help him up, he added. "It's getting later. We should go home."

"That won't be happening, _Corazon_." The moment was a broken by a familiar voice. "Doffy has had enough of your meddling."

Vergo.

Rocinante didn't turn around quickly enough to avoid being punched with a clenched fist. It drove into his gut with punishing force and the punch stole his breath as Rocinante collapsed to the ground with a harsh exhale. But even the punch did nothing to distract him from the fact that Vergo was headed toward Law. Rocinante wheezed something out to try and warn the dark haired surgeon to run before he sagged against the ground as he struggled to regain his breath. And then Law's worried cry forced him into movement despite the sudden pain he was in.

"Cora!"

-x-

Law wanted to go to Rocinante's side as soon as the blond haired officer had collapsed but Vergo cuffed him roughly and sent him carelessly to the side. The surgeon hit the ground with a grunt before rolled himself to one side and up in time to see Vergo pummel Rocinante a few times. Despite being short of breath, Law lurched to his feet and launched himself onto Vergo's nearest arm, as he'd just seen Rocinante trying to go for the gun that he had concealed beneath his shirt.

Unfortunately, Vergo didn't appreciate his actions, and Law wasn't even sure what happened before he found himself limp on the ground and breathing hard from what felt like one of those rough punches, or three, that Vergo had given Rocinante. Law heard something heavy fall to the ground and figured it was the blond haired officer. The beating stopped as Law vaguely heard Vergo walk a short distance away and started talking.

A call? Had Vergo called someone?

Law closed his eyes briefly.

Doflamingo, probably.

Law's eyes flew open as someone picked him up, and only struggled briefly until he realized a rather battered Rocinante had been the one to pick him up. The surgeon reached out and gripped Rocinante's shirt loosely. Neither of them said anything, at least until Rocinante tottered a few yards away and set Law down to hide him in some bushes.

"What are you doing?" Law asked.

Rocinante gave him a kiss in reply before the blond drew back, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Cora?" Law didn't like that look. It was as if Rocinante wanted to say something to him but couldn't find it in him to do so.

Rocinante offered a faintly pained smile at the surgeon's confusion, before he rose shakily to his feet.

Law stared, panic welling within him as he watched the blond walk away from him unsteadily. Why was Rocinante leaving him there all alone? Why was he doing this? Was he leaving him to be found by Vergo while he left? Law banished the thought but couldn't figure out what Rocinante was up to and why-

The surgeon's breath caught as he heard raised voices.

Wait.

Had Rocinante...gone back to confront Vergo? But why would the blond haired officer go back to the person who had beaten him? Was it to…draw Vergo's attention from Law himself?

The dark haired surgeon grit his teeth and started to inch toward the edge of the bushes. Rocinante shouldn't have done that. He should have tried to get the two of them farther away. Back into the amusement park with all of the bystanders. Law grew worried when he heard the sound of a scuffle, and was completely startled when Rocinante landed just short of him before the bushes. The dark haired surgeon had heard something else fall, and saw the blond haired officer's gun on the ground as well.

"Where is Law?"

Rocinante was unresponsive as the blond merely wheezed.

Law wanted to start an immediate check for broken bones, but at the sight of Vergo approaching purposefully and cracking his knuckles, the surgeon blindly lurched forward and seized the gun. He must have become visible because Vergo changed directions and went for him instead. Law had only held a gun a handful of times in his life, but he had a fairly good idea of how to use one after watching Rocinante practice with one and being shown how to hold one.

And use it.

Law pulled the trigger when Vergo was nearly upon him, and the sound of the gunshot and the kick of the gun made Law drop the weapon. Vergo stood there as if he hadn't been hit, and the surgeon wasn't sure what else he could do, until the other man fell over without a sound. Law scooted away from Vergo, just in case the shot had not actually killed him, and instead dragged himself close to Rocinante, and shook his shoulder gently.

"Cora?"

No response.

"Cora!" Law insisted, terrified that the other man was so still. Law became aware of other voices and then, quite out of nowhere, Bellemere and Sengoku were there. Law saw them assess the situation and that was when the dark haired surgeon realized that Vergo's phone was on the ground near the man's body.

And it appeared to be on.

Law weakly pointed at the phone, and wasn't sure either of the other officers could see it in the gloom of the evening, but Sengoku did.

The older officer put on a glove before he picked up the phone, and Sengoku saw Law mouth the word 'Doflamingo.' The police officer's face grew dark as he glanced from Vergo to Law and then the still Rocinante.

"You had better have a damn good lawyer and explanation for this, Doflamingo." Sengoku's voice was hard; he clearly didn't like the state he'd found Rocinante in.

Law didn't really take in any more than that as he wrapped a hand around Rocinante's wrist. As the dark haired surgeon lost consciousness, he was reassured by the fact that the blond had a pulse.

-x-

When Rocinante woke up, it was to being in pain. Vergo sure had done a number on him, but what about Law? Was he all right? Rocinante sat up quickly and that startled whoever was in the room with him. But the blond haired officer ignored them as he tried to orient himself but instead flailed as his movements were thrown off by a wave of dizziness and he ended up on his back again. Rocinante blinked in confusion and then offered a quizzical look at Chopper and the nurse that were in the room. "Law? Is Law…?"

"It looks like your memory and speech weren't affected by the beating you received." Chopper commented.

"Law is all right, isn't he?" Rocinante didn't like the tone in the brown haired teen's voice, as if something were wrong.

"He will be fine. He didn't get beaten as much as you did. Law will just have some bruises."

"Then what's wrong?" Rocinante asked, relieved that the dark haired man would be okay.

"You're the one who was more badly hurt. One of the strikes you received hit you in the head, and it appears to have affected your center of balance. It appears to be temporary, but you will have to be careful."

"And Vergo?" Rocinante supposed that he was lucky to be alive since it was obvious that he wasn't supposed to be if Vergo had come after him.

"Dead. Gunshot wound. Died at the scene."

Rocinante didn't remember shooting Vergo, and that meant that Law or someone else must have done so "Law?"

"I'll get him." Chopper said as he crossed over to the door and stuck his head out of the open door. "Law! He's awake." Chopper stepped to one side to allow the surgeon into the room. Chopper watched as Law silently walked over to the bed, and waved at the nurse to come with him. The young doctor spoke. "We'll come back in a few minutes. I'm going to go take a look at the x-rays." The door closed, leaving Law and Rocinante alone in the room with one another.

As soon as the door was closed, Law moved closer to the bed. And then, as if forgetting that he hadn't been held by Rocinante or vice versa, the dark haired surgeon gently wrapped his arms around Rocinante's neck and hugged him carefully.

"I'm glad you're safe." Rocinante remained on his back as he held still, even if he did wince a little from being moved around. The blond let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried that Vergo would kill you."

"It seemed more like he was trying to do that to you." Law said as he surprised Rocinante by letting go of his neck and carefully resting his head against the blond's chest. The surgeon ducked his head beneath Rocinante's chin and let out a slow breath. "I thought he had killed when you didn't move after he knocked you back down."

"I was having trouble trying to breathe." Rocinante said softly. After checking to see that his right arm had IVs in them, Rocinante carefully moved his left arm to drape it over Law's back as he brushed a kiss to the top of the surgeon's head. "Did you shoot Vergo? I think I was unconscious by then."

"Yes." Law said simply.

"I'm sorry." Rocinante responded. "You shouldn't have had to do that."

"I only shot him because I didn't want him to hurt you anymore." Law said as he lightly rested his hand on Rocinante's bandaged waist. "When I saw the look on his face...I thought that-" The surgeon broke off as if not wanting to think about what had happened.

"I love you." Rocinante said after silence had reigned for a few minutes.

Law propped himself up on his elbow and gave the blond a feather light kiss in return. The surgeon's eyes had taken on a saddened look, before Law managed a very tiny smile. "I love you too." The dark haired man immediately hid his face against the crook of Rocinante's neck and shoulder. "So don't do that again. I thought you were dead until I felt that you had a pulse."

Rocinante let his arm rest a little heavier over Law's back, the heart monitor reflecting the flutter of his heart at Law's words.

"And please don't give yourself a heart attack." The dark hared surgeon pleaded after a moment when the heart monitor didn't go back to normal. "You need to remain calm if you don't want to push your body too much farther than it already has been."

"I can't help it." Rocinante protested. "You kissed me and said that you loved me."

"But I've done that before." Law pointed out, perplexed.

"I know but it always makes me so happy when you say it because it is hard to tell what you're thinking sometimes." Rocinante responded. The blond frowned briefly at the surgeon and the look he was being given. "What is it?"

Chopper and the nurse returned to the room moments later and were treated to the sight of Law methodically giving Rocinante a very thorough kiss to show him exactly how he felt about Rocinante not thinking that he cared about him all of the time if he didn't outright say or show that he did.

The blond haired officer was laughing breathlessly afterward when Law did what he'd done numerous times before and retreated to the bathroom in the room and locked himself inside.

"I love you!" Rocinante called out to the closed door with a smile. The blond would say that as many times as he could because he had known all along that it made Law happy to hear it even if he didn't always show it. Because that happiness most certainly showed in the surgeon's voice, even if he was self-conscious of the fact that others were around to hear it.

"I know you do."

The officer wheezed a few laughs before quieting. Law really was too adorable for his own good, and as soon as he was coordinated enough, Rocinante was going to get Law into a hug again. The blond just wanted to hold the surgeon because he couldn't help but want to be close to him.

Rocinante was fairly certain that Law wouldn't mind so long as they didn't have an audience.

 

 


	64. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fluff returns for now.

The next few days went by ever so slowly to Rocinante. The reason it had been feeling that way was mainly because the blond had become painfully aware of the fact that the hit to his head had done more than he initially thought it had.

The first morning Rocinante had tried to get out of the hospital bed, he had clearly forgotten that he was hooked up to an IV. The blond would have fallen over and potentially rip the needles out had Law not been jostled awake.  With an almost unconscious gesture, the dark haired surgeon had all but thrown himself forward to ensure Rocinante had stayed in place and didn't harm himself.  The kiss after Law had made certain the IVs hadn't been knocked loose had made the blond feel better, thrilled as ever with even the smallest gesture of affection.  Rocinante knew, however, that something had been wrong with the way Law had looked troubled with his attempt to rise out of bed.

The second day Rocinante managed to sit up without any assistance, but only remained upright for a moment before he briefly flailed and fell back against the hospital bed's headboard, bumping his head slightly and cringing upon contact.  Rocinante had lain where he'd fallen, as he hadn't been entirely certain he wouldn't find a way to hurt himself further. Law had been in the room with the blond at the time and had patiently rearranged the pillows so that Rocinante could sit upright without toppling over again. The blond haired officer, as soon as he had been propped up, had become embarrassed when he'd realized he had a catheter.

Again.

Rocinante had known that he'd blushed because Law obviously knew that he knew, and had even given him a hint of a smirk.

The third day, and Rocinante was allowed out of bed, catheter gone and with the IVs stuck in the crook of his arm, the blond toted around the packets of fluid in them as he made a cautious circuit of the room.

And fell over not five minutes later.

Rocinante waved off the help that came, embarrassed over the fact that he'd fallen, and the blond was certain that it wasn't his clumsiness that was the culprit in this instance.  The aborted hug that Law had almost given him in a room full of other people lifted Rocinante's spirits, and the blond even managed to crack a smile at the way the dark haired surgeon became aloof, even if it was clear he still wanted to do something.

Day five and Rocinante was a bit unsteady on his feet, but he was able to roam up and down the hall outside of his hospital room and he counted that as a victory as he wasn't falling over every few steps he took. And another reason he felt pleased with his progress was the fact that Law had given him tiny, encouraging smiles, and those smiles gave Rocinante strength. Gave him hope. It made it easier to get through the day and the exercises that the hospital staff had him get through a physical therapist. He'd been told that it would help him regain mobility in his left leg and right arm, both of which had been battered rather heavily in Vergo's assault upon him.

But despite all of that, the blond haired man was thrilled that Law had begun to silently sit near him on his hospital bed as the days went by and Rocinante had been taken aback but deliriously happy when the dark haired surgeon would suddenly kiss him.

-x-

A month after the attack, Rocinante was allowed home on the condition that he had someone around at all times in the event that he might fall over. Rocinante honestly didn't believe that falling over would really be an issue that he needed help with, since it happened to him on a regular basis even when he hadn't been injured and on the mend. He did suppose that it was a precaution in case he hit his head or otherwise hurt himself in that fall. But the blond haired officer had accepted the condition because he wanted to go home and spend some time alone with Law. Because for whatever reason, the surgeon was opening up to him again, and Rocinante wanted to be there whenever the surgeon started to do little things that made his heart flutter.

And it would flutter a good deal more when he returned home, because Law appeared to be adamant on taking care of Rocinante. And to take care of him as much as Rocinante had taken care of him when the dark haired surgeon had been recovering from being poisoned and had needed to take it easy.

Rocinante smiled softly as he realized what Law was up to, and couldn't be happier that the other man appeared to no longer have any problem touching him or even being in the same room. Rocinante didn't know what had caused the change but he was going to still be cautious in any case lest he upset Law in some way. For now, Rocinante couldn't help but smile as the surgeon did numerous things to help him out around the house.

Law was always around to help him get from one room to another, even if Rocinante insisted he was able bodied enough by now that short distances were no problem whatsoever. The surgeon would merely press lightly up against Rocinante's side and hang on to his arm as he guided them to whatever room they happened to be going to with either a bland expression or a determined one that made the other man know not to argue. But Rocinante was always grateful for the help when he and Law went to bed, because the bedroom being on the second floor of the house was trouble. Rocinante was relieved that he had not fallen over backwards or face planted into the stairs he walked up, and the surgeon at his side appeared to be relieved as well.  There had been talk of sleeping in the spare room on ground level, but Law wouldn't budge in his determination to get Rocinante back into his bedroom.  As if he were making up for the time he'd been in it without the blond haired officer.

Some other things that Law was clearly doing to be helpful only managed to do interesting things to Rocinante's body and he dearly hoped that Law didn't notice. The blond was certain that even if it had been almost six months since Law had been raped, that the dark haired surgeon might not want to be physically intimate with him quite yet. But it was tempting, with the way Law insisted on helping Rocinante dress some mornings, and the blond sure as hell felt as if the surgeon was touching him more than he had before, as if fascinated by his bare skin.

And then the showers. Rocinante didn't know what to do about those, conflicted as he already was.

Law was going to kill him when the surgeon insisted that he not take showers but baths, and that damn hot tub in the master bathroom was better suited for his frame. Rocinante couldn't tell whether or not the surgeon was genuinely disinterred in sexual advances because Law was able to strip the blond down and not bat an eye or if he was affected but sticking to the task at hand.

Rocinante wouldn't deny that he loved to feel Law's hands in his hair and working in the shampoo, despite the slight awkwardness of getting stripped down in the first place.  And as he was craving touch, Rocinante didn't have the heart to tell Law that he was quite capable of giving himself a bath. Rocinante just needed help out of the tub so as to not crack his head against the floor of the bathroom. But whatever Law's reasons, that particular behavior he displayed made Rocinante cautious yet happy that there would start to be more touching and affection between himself and Law than before.  And even as his hair was ruffled dry, Rocinante wondered what was going on in the surgeon's mind.  Did he know that this was having an effect on him?  Did Law know how much Rocinante had been considering pulling him into the tub at times?  Or was he really oblivious?

"Are you all right?" Law asked as he paused with the towel still on top of the blond's head.  "You're very quiet."

Rocinante peeked up at the surgeon from beneath the towel still over his head and could only offer a smile in answer.

Law looked puzzled but resumed drying Rocinante's hair, even if the surgeon's brow was furrowed as if he too was puzzling over what was going on in Rocinante's mind.

-x-

A few days later, and Rocinante finally decided he had to ask Law what he was up to. Especially after it had seemed as if the dark haired man had been considering joining him in the tub some ten minutes ago. And it worried Rocinante because he would have been more than happy to help Law in.  The blond haired officer settled on the couch in their bedroom and posed a question to Law as the surgeon rummaged around in a dresser.

"Law?"

The surgeon cast his golden eyed gaze in Rocinante's direction.

"How are you doing?" Rocinante didn't want to particularly want to bring up unwanted memories, but he really wanted to know if Law was all right with beginning to resume a somewhat more physical relationship, or if he was content to keep it toned down. The blond wasn't sure what Law wanted, exactly, based on the past several days, and thought he ought to ask, so he himself didn't go too far.

"My bruises are almost gone." Law said in return and he sounded a little confused as he crossed over to where Rocinante was and sat down next to him. "Why do you ask?"

"It's good that that's almost healed, but that wasn't what I was asking." Rocinante said softly in return. "I meant…how are you doing…after what happened while we were on vacation?" Rocinante saw Law's face go blank and hastily waved his hands in apology, worried he'd pushed too much. "Y…you don't have to say anything. I just wanted to know if you were doing better. If you were all right with what we've been doing lately." Kissing and cuddling and hugging and all that.

And the baths. The blond haired officer wasn't going to forget those baths any time soon.

"I told you before that I didn't want to push you to go back to what we were doing before." Rocinante fidgeted as he looked down at his lap. "So I just wanted to make sure you were all right with what we have been doing and…um…" Rocinante trailed off into silence. He felt a little cheered by the fact that Law took one of his hands in his own and held it tight.

"I've….been trying to put it behind me. I feel as if it was something that Doflamingo had done to try and make me feel…uncomfortable around you." Law said quietly. "Break us apart."

Which Rocinante figured had happened, at least for a few months.

"But I don't want it to stay like that. Don't want to have what happened...influence my life any more than it already has." Law sighed as he scooted closer to Rocinante's side. "I want to go back to some of what we were doing…just slowly, so that I don't think about what happened."

"I don't remember if I asked you this before, Law, but…what do you want out of our relationship?" Rocinante felt the need to ask because he wanted to sure hear it from Law himself. He was a little worried when the surgeon didn't respond right away.

"I just want to be with you. Live in the same house with you like this." Law said at length, holding Rocinante's hand tighter. "You make me happy. And nothing could make me happier than being with you." The surgeon fell completely silent and looked away. Almost as if he'd said or admitted too much.

Rocinante figured that Law was blushing and honestly it was fine if he was because it made the blond happy to know that Law was happy like he was just being with one another. Anything else they chose to do merely added to that happiness, even if it had been a bit subdued as of late since Rocinante had been injured and Law had been, well...

The blond haired officer carefully reached over and coaxed Law into a kiss.  It was short and sweet, as Law suddenly pulled back and made a move.  Rocinante made a sound of surprise when the surgeon moved to settle over the blond's lap and Rocinante was fairly certain this counted as straddling him.

"Cora…"  Law breathed, his tone different than before, and not as uncertain.

Wow, Rocinante hadn't thought that Law would want to lock lips with him in a way that added to the idea that the dark haired surgeon desperately wanted to touch and be touched in return.  But Law was obviously having difficulty getting his mind wrapped around it. Rocinante hugged Law around the back and angled his head to better kiss the surgeon and Law appeared to enjoy the change because he pressed himself closer and softly moaned something into his mouth. Rocinante was reeling over the fact that the kiss was a lot more passionate than before since Law had been raped in the woods, and it was with some underlying force that Rocinante couldn't figure out.

Law had been quieter the past week or so, and Rocinante didn't know why other than the fact that it wasn't through his doing that the surgeon was quiet. And then Rocinante found out what was going on as soon as the kiss broke and the blond caught sight of that strange, detached look on Law's face.  It was a look that Rocinante hadn't seen for some time, but that didn't mean he had forgotten what that look usually entailed. With a heated flush crossing his cheeks, the blond haired officer babbled damn near incoherently as the surgeon dropped to his knees on the ground and had his hands on Rocinante's belt.

"Ah! Law! I didn't mean...well, I didn't mean now. You don't have to…to…" Rocinante didn't get any further as the blond found out relatively quickly that the surgeon would not be dissuaded from his current intentions.

-x-

"Cora, be quiet." Law said distractedly as he had the belt undone.  The blond made some sound in the back of his throat like he wasn't sure what he was doing this now.  but Law made a few tugs with his hands and had Rocinante's pants and briefs down. In no time at all he had a hand around the blond before there could be any further protest. "I did appear to have given you an erection. I think I can handle that just fine." Law busied himself for a few moments using his hands, before he tentatively licked the tip, before he let gaze flick up to the conflicted look that crossed Rocinante's face. Law left off what he was doing with his mouth to offer a faint smirk to Rocinante. "Do you want me to stop? I just thought that since this doesn't seem to bother me….that I could do something about it so that you don't have to go to the bathroom and do it yourself."

"That's…I can do it….myself…." Rocinante said with a strained voice, clearly holding back any pleasure out of concern for Law's state of mind. "I…I…"

"I said this is fine, Cora." Law went back to using his tongue and figured by the thin whine and heavy settling against the back of the couch that Rocinante had given up trying to dissuade him. The dark haired surgeon mentally chided himself when he had a slight gag reflex but pushed past the sensation. Law was bound and determined to make Rocinante enjoy this. He wasn't going to allow himself to be held back by the unpleasant memory of the woods and all those men. He was going to get through it as he had gotten through all the other hard times in his life. Law was even going to try and focus on the positive in his life, and Rocinante was one of those positive things. And if he could make Rocinante happy, it would make him happy. Law wasn't going to let a memory hold him back from caring about Rocinante as much as he could.

"Law…"

The dark haired surgeon added his hand to what he had his mouth around and went a little deeper and made sure to try all the things that he had read about over the past several months and before that. And whatever he was doing with his tongue then appeared to make Rocinante enjoy it even more, even if he had started to breathlessly protest again.

"Law….you don't have to…ah...do this...if you're not ready…"

Law was fairly certain he made Rocinante's head drop back after a quick swipe of his tongue  to the tip of his dick and decided that he liked the sound of Rocinante panting his name because he did the motion again. It felt…good, Law supposed, to hear that Rocinante was enjoying this. The dark haired surgeon was aware of the fact that Rocinante was trying his damndest to not buck his hips, as it seemed that the blond was trying very hard to hold on to his mind and allow Law to go at his own pace. The surgeon appreciated the action a lot., which made him try harder to make the blond enjoy it. As soon as Rocinante slumped against the couch, breathing hard, Law had gotten onto the couch and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for letting me do that. I think I just need to mentally prepare myself for some of these things so that I don't…dwell on past memories that are unpleasant."

"Law…" Rocinante returned the kiss with a slow exhale and closed his eyes as he sagged against the couch, sated.   "Love you." The blond mumbled after a moment as he turned to cuddle the surgeon to his chest.

"And you." Law mumbled distractedly as he pressed his face against Rocinante's shoulder to hide the blush. But Rocinante appeared to be happy, and that was what the surgeon had wanted to see.

-x-

Several weeks passed, and Rocinante was pleased that he was much steadier on his feet. And in no time at all after that, Rocinante was back to falling over only through his own clumsiness. Even if the doctors and the others at the hospital had wanted him to be more careful, there was only so much that the blond could do about his own clumsy nature. Rocinante did, however, try his best to not face plant in the presence of Chopper when he was in for a checkup, but being smirked at by Law on the way out caused the blond to lose his focus and he fell over anyway. It resulted in a brief lecture and throughout it Rocinante only had eyes for Law, who was busying himself by looking at a clipboard.

Which had no papers.

Rocinante fell over again before he got to Law to give the surgeon a quick squeeze of a hug and a peck on the cheek before he made his escape. Because he knew that he would see Law within an hour, and now that they were sleeping in the same room again, he would be able to greet Law before the surgeon went to sleep.

When the blond returned home twenty minutes later, a problem presented itself in the form of the staircase to the bedroom. Rocinante eyed the inanimate stairs before he carefully wrapped a hand around the railing. And then, with a determined expression, Rocinante made it up a few stairs before he took a misstep. The blond fell backward with a gasp and tumbled down the first three stairs where he sprawled out on his back. Rocinante decided to stay there. He wasn't hurt but he had been startled. Rocinante stared up at the ceiling and was relieved that he'd only been startled instead of hurt. The blond contented himself with waiting where he was and decided that he would stay where he was until Law returned home.

Shachi and Penguin passed by a half hour later and eyed the motionless blond, whose legs were now propped up on the first two stairs.

"You okay, Rocinante?" Penguin asked.

"Hm, yes." The blond said as soon as he realized that the other man had stepped forward as if to help him get back up.

"Gonna wait for Law to come home and help you up?" Shachi asked with a smile.

"Yes." Rocinante said, not embarrassed in the least bit about admitting needing some help. He was amused at the sight of the red head reaching out moments before to hold Penguin back.

Twenty minutes later and Law returned home, red in the face and looking ready to crack some skulls. Preferably one overly touchy feely blond's skull who enjoyed PDA.

"Welcome home, Law." Rocinante said cheerfully in the face of an obviously displeased Law.

The dark haired surgeon took one look at the blond's sprawled out and smiling form on the ground and all the anger seemed to leave him as he settled on the floor next to Rocinante. "Why are you on your back?"

"I fell over." Rocinante said quietly.

"How far?" Law asked as he automatically reached out and started to feel around Rocinante's hairline for any injury.

"Three steps. It's not that big of a deal." Rocinante said as his eyes slipped shut at Law's touch. "I've certainly fallen from a higher height before." Law didn't respond, and the blond was about to speak up again when something stopped him. Rocinante felt lips meet his own in a light kiss, and his eyes flew open in surprise when the surgeon nipped at his lower lip. "Law?" Rocinante turned over and propped himself up on his hands and knees when Law drew away, and encroached on the dark haired man on his hands and knees with a bright expression.

"What? We kiss, don't we?" Law let out a grunt as Rocinante happily settled over him.

"Yes, but you hardly ever initiate them." Rocinante pointed out as he began to leave a trail of kisses along the side of the dark haired surgeon's neck.

"Yes, I do…but I…" Law cut himself off to prevent an embarrassing moan from leaving his lips as Rocinante kissed him between ear and jaw, again and again. And for good measure, the blond kissed him on the lips.

Rocinante ran his hands lightly through the dark haired surgeon's hair as he cautiously licked Law's lips, inwardly excited when the surgeon parted his lips. The blond haired man had to prevent himself from giving Law too much of a thorough kiss, at least for now, and Rocinante took it as a good sign that Law clung to the back of his shirt. The blond figured it was because it meant that the surgeon was all right with the kiss and-

"Wow, take out dinner and a show! You aren't going to change me, are you?" Shachi sidled into the hall with a grin. "But it's good that you two can get all cuddly and stuff like that. You just might want to get a room if you start losing your clothes." The red head grinned as Law broke the kiss and lifted his head to glare at him. Shachi's grin became mischievous. "Hey, I'm not a voyeur or anything but I gotta say that you two certainly seem into each other." Shachi hesitated before he dared to ask, with a straight face. "Have you guys had sex yet?"

At the sight of a single glare full of malevolent promise, Shachi hastily made himself scarce.

"Cora, let me up." Law said flatly as he pressed his hands up against the blond's chest. "He won't get far when I'm through with him."

"Please don't go try to rough your roommate up." The blond asked with slight disapproval. "I'd rather not arrest you."

"Let go." Law's gaze flicked in the direction his red headed friend went.

"No." Rocinante settled more comfortably over the dark haired surgeon and kissed his cheek. "I didn't approve of you drugging your roommate that one time before."

"He was fine then and he will be now." Law said absently. "At least, he'll be fine in the morning. I've changed my mind. I'll knock him out with a sleeping pill."

"I think you've been around my brother too long." Rocinante said with obvious concern. "What did you do before if Shachi teased you too much?"

"I rendered him unconscious through different means." Law said in reply with a straight face as he turned his attention to Rocinante. "Usually alcohol."

The blond haired officer clearly didn't know what to say to that or whether to truly believe Law because the surgeon had smirked at him.

"Now let go of me." Law squirmed beneath Rocinante in his attempts to get away.

"I don't think so." The blond haired officer said as he leaned over to peck Law on the cheek.

"Cora, I-" The surgeon's thoughts were dashed as Rocinante started to nuzzle and kiss along his throat and then drew him into a kiss again. Law forgot why he had been upset by the time Rocinante was done showering him with affectionate kisses and the surgeon couldn't think to be upset at all in the face of that beaming smile.

Law decided then and there that the floor was a good a place as any to cuddle with Rocinante and get some sleep.


	65. Chapter 65

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D

Rocinante waited in the living room for Law to come home from the hospital, as the surgeon had texted him an hour ago to let him know that he was headed back early. While he waited for Law, Rocinante reflected on the fact that he had not heard from his brother for several weeks. He presumed that it was because Doflamingo had gone into hiding, as not even the police assigned to the task could locate him and there was no trace of the man in his mansion home. Rocinante's concern right now, however, wasn't the whereabouts of his brother; even if that was concerning that he was missing. What was important right that minute was the fact that today marked the day that Rocinante and Law would have known one another for three and a half years. Rocinante perked up as soon as the front door opened.

"Welcome home." Rocinante greeted warmly as soon as his eyes fell on Law. Of course it would be the surgeon, since he had said he had been headed back. Rocinante knew that Penguin was dead asleep in his bedroom from a late day at work. As for Shachi, the blond wasn't entirely sure. Rocinante's smile grew happier the longer he looked at Law, because the other man had stopped just inside the door at his greeting. "Are you going to come inside or stand there?" He loved that he could still throw Law for a loop after being together for so long.

The dark haired surgeon stared at Rocinante for a moment as if trying to decide what to make of him. And then Law's expression softened just a bit in the face of the other man's smile. As if he couldn't do or say anything lest he ruin the good mood the blond haired officer was in.

"I'm glad you got off of work early today. You didn't get much sleep last night. I was worried you might fall asleep at work." Rocinante commented, and couldn't help but laugh a little over the fact that Law still stood inside the doorway as if not sure whether to come in or not after all.

"It wasn't that bad." Law said at length as he eyed Rocinante and the smile he still wore. The surgeon was apparently trying to decide if such a smile was safe to be around, and apparently decided that it was, because he entered the house the rest of the way and closed the door behind him. "And I worked with Chopper today. He would have told me had I started to doze off."

Rocinante's smile grew. He loved that Law was avoiding him less and less these past few weeks, and it made him happier than he thought it would. It was so nice to be able to have Law more or less by his side again instead of flinching away from him like the blond was going to hurt him.

"Do you want to have lunch and dinner with me today, Cora?" Law asked, avoiding eye contact as he drew closer. "I don't have to work until tomorrow afternoon."

"I'd love to go out with you. We haven't had a meal together outside of the house for at least two weeks. We've both been pretty busy." Rocinante said immediately, smiling brightly as he got up off of the couch to go over to Law. Rocinante nearly tripped himself on the way over but managed to not fall flat on his face as he gave Law a hug and a quick peck on the cheek. "Do you want to go right now?"

"That's fine, just let me change my clothes." Law said as he wriggled out of Rocinante's embrace with a faint flush. "Give me a minute."

"I'll wait here for you." Rocinante assured the surgeon, and watched Law go upstairs. The blond couldn't help but just continue to smile when he realized that Law was taking longer than he normally would to get a change of clothes. Rocinante laughed softly when he saw Law reappear wearing a hoodie and spotted jeans, his hat jammed onto his head. Rocinante met Law at the bottom of the stairs and embraced the surgeon again as he whispered in his ear as he ran a hand lightly along Law's opposite cheek.

"I love you." Rocinante felt Law slowly return the hug he was being given before he pulled away. Rocinante let him, but held still when Law wrapped a hand around his.

"I want to go to _that_ restaurant, if that is all right with you." Law stated, the surgeon's golden eyes anywhere but on Rocinante's face.

"Of course." Rocinante gave Law's hand a faint squeeze. He wondered why Law was being so shy again, unless he was still thrown off by his earlier greeting. "I know it's one of your favorite places to go."

Law straightened up with a nod, and, still grasping Rocinante's hand in his own, began to tug the blond haired officer in the direction of the door.

"You guys going out?" Shachi questioned as the red head entered the living room.

Rocinante supposed the other man's appearance answered whether he'd been in the house or not. The blond certainly hadn't heard Shachi, so maybe he'd been asleep like Penguin still was. Rocinante felt Law grip his hand more tightly and wondered if it was a subconscious gesture, because the surgeon's eyes were on his grinning roommate.

"Yes, we are going out. To eat." Law said shortly, narrowing his eyes at his friend as if daring him to say anything. He still held on to Rocinante's hand and didn't seem likely to let go anytime soon. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason really. That's cool and all that you're gonna go get something to eat, but…" Shachi looked Rocinante over with a sly grin. "Maybe you should let your boyfriend change his clothes?"

Law glanced at Rocinante, and his eyes flicked up and down briefly, his face neutral as he examined the blond.

Rocinante wore a confused expression at the scrutiny, and then forgot what he was supposed to be doing when Law offered him a smirk.

"You went in to work earlier today?" The surgeon asked, sounding amused.

"Yes?" Rocinante was happy that Law was smiling at him, smirk or no, but why would he-

"Did you look at yourself in a mirror today, Rocinante?" Shachi asked, still grinning. "You didn't notice anyone giving you looks in the police station?"

"What are you talking abo-" Rocinante trailed off as he looked himself over, and blushed with embarrassment when he realized he was in his pajamas. His heart patterned pajamas. With mounting horror, Rocinante reached up and found that he wore his red hood with the heart tassels.

Shit.

Bellemere was never going to let him live this down. No wonder she had been staring at him and asking him random questions that morning while smiling like she was withholding some private joke. His pajamas also explained why people had been sneaking peeks at him throughout the station. Rocinante stilled as the dark haired surgeon pressed up against him as one of Law's hands reached up to toy with one of the hearts at the end of the hood's tassel.

"You didn't even notice that this was on your head?" Law asked as he pressed the heart to his lips with a quirk of his lips.

Rocinante made a faint sound like the dark haired surgeon was tormenting him in some way but at the same time liked that Law was comfortable enough around him to be a little…forward. Could it be considered flirting? The blond froze in place when Law tugged on the tassel as if to try and get Rocinante to lean over to kiss him. As much as he would have loved that, the blond felt compelled to remind the dark haired surgeon that they had an audience. "I thought you had to go to work today, Shachi. Or were you out earlier?"

"I have the day off." The red head said cheerfully as he turned his attention to Law to tease him a bit more. "Did you want a little kiss from your officer or something? Is that why you have him wear that hood so that you can pull him down with those tassels and have him kiss you breathless?"

Law's blush seemed to be answer enough, and he let go of the tassel as he seemed to realize what he was doing, and abruptly backed away from Rocinante.

"You should go get changed." Law said blandly.

Rocinante turned away to do so, and as he did, he felt Law's hand give his ass a slap. That was completely unexpected and Rocinante felt that there had to be something going on in the surgeon's head for him to do something like that. And Rocinante was a bit more embarrassed over his body's reaction to the slap, because he ended up nearly pitching forward over to the floor as he made a funny sound in the back of his throat. Rocinante didn't dare look back and instead focused on getting up the stairs. He didn't linger too long in the bedroom as he got dressed, and returned wearing sweater and dress slacks. Rocinante reached the bottom of the stairs without falling over and wore a pleased expression. He was getting better at not tripping himself, at least going up the stairs, anyway. Rocinante caught sight of Law and went over to his side at the sight of the surgeon's faint smile.

The smile in that moment and the one from before made Rocinante relieved that the other man could smile like that more often. And around him, for that matter. Rocinante left the house with Law at his side, and he was completely unaware that he was about to find out later on just how much more comfortable Law was around him in other regards.

Rocinante also held firmly to Law's nearest hand, because he'd noticed the surgeon attempting to cop another feel. Rocinante wouldn't mind Law touching his ass but he really wasn't quite sure why Law was doing so. He felt that the other man had to have known the effect he was having on him, and felt a little relieved that he did seem to be aware of his actions, because he was smirking ever so slightly at the way Rocinante held his hand.

Law did get another light slap in, although he appeared mortified that it caused Rocinante to tug them into the nearest alley to give him a quick yet lingering kiss.

Rocinante hoped that hadn't scared him at all, because Law was unusually silent the rest of the way to the restaurant.

-x-

Law was nervous.

He disliked the feeling, but it best described how he was feeling at the moment. Because he and Rocinante were nearly home after the walk in the park they took after dinner. And Law had other plans for that night, and he had been preparing himself for it by telling himself repeatedly that Rocinante would not hurt him.

Wouldn't push him.

Hadn't pushed hm.

And hadn't brought up sex in any of their conversation for a little over six months.

Law knew that Rocinante might protest out of concern for him, so the surgeon would have to wait and pick the right moment. The two of them reached home and went up to their bedroom, and Law was pleased that it appeared as if Rocinante did not expect anything different from any of the past few weeks. Although he ought to have given it thought, because as embarrassing as it might have been, Law had enjoyed giving Rocinante those few swats to his backside because it had brought forth such interesting reactions.

The dark haired surgeon honestly hadn't expected Rocinante to act upon any of his feeling over the matter, but the kiss in the alley hadn't been unwelcome. It had just caused Law to go deep into thought about the way the rest of the evening would paly out.   And now that it was there, he felt that there was no backing out with the plan he had come up with.

Law changed into some briefs while Rocinante was in the bathroom, and before the other man could see him, made sure to get into bed beneath the covers. The dark haired surgeon spotted something as Rocinante emerged from the bathroom that would make things more difficult for him and was quick to point it out to the other man.

"You don't have to wear all of those clothes." Law bit back anything else because Rocinante seemed taken aback just from the mere suggestion coming from the surgeon himself. After all, Law had never exactly been comfortable with the blond sleeping naked or in boxers in their bed for the longest time.

Rocinante paused, half in and out of a shirt, and lifted the material slightly to eye Law. And then he spoke after he'd studied the surgeon for a brief moment to see if he was serious. "Is that all right?"

Law could only nod, and smiled to himself as he watched Rocinante toss his shirt aside to land somewhere near the laundry hamper before the blond headed for the bed wearing only pants. The dark haired surgeon couldn't help but actually smile when Rocinante slid beneath the covers and up against his side, only to freeze in place as he likely come to the realization that the surgeon wore no clothes but for the briefs. The dark haired surgeon held still himself as Rocinante's hands roamed his tanned skin lightly as if to confirm what he felt, before he let out a faint sound and pressed himself closer to Law and muttered something about teasing him.

Just as Law had planned, he'd been able to get Rocinante thrown off balance a little bit with acting a little out of what the blond normally expected of him.

Rocinante stuttered something even less coherent as Law took the opportunity to reach up and cup the blond's cheeks to angle his head closer for a kiss. Law closed his eyes and let his tongue briefly dart out across Rocinante's lips, and was glad he didn't have to articulate anything to let the blond know what he wanted from him. Rocinante murmured something in confusion but returned the kiss happily enough.

Law dropped his hands away from the blond's cheeks as he broke the kiss. With a very faint smirk, the surgeon began to leave a trial of kisses down along Rocinante's throat and neck, and then to his collarbone. Law stopped briefly when Rocinante rested his hand on his back, but as soon as he determined that was all the blond was going to do, the surgeon continued on.

"Law…" Rocinante said shakily, clearly surprised as he let out a sharp breath as Law made his way down to his chest. "What are you-"

The dark haired man was focused on the task at hand, and had decided to try out some of what he had learned from reading books, as well as some of what he had learned from what Rocinante did to him in these circumstances. Law felt Rocinante's hand move from his back up to tangle loosely in his hair, and the surgeon lifted his head to aim a smirk Rocinante's way.

Rocinante took one look at that expression and let go of Law's hair as he issued another faint sound. It was if he couldn't believe any of this was happening.

Law smirked some more at the other man's reaction. He knew that Rocinante liked it when he smirked at him, but just didn't have many opportunities to do so as the blond normally made him just smile more genuinely than anyone else in his life. But if he wanted to tease him…Law had learned that the smirk was something that would work quite well. The dark haired surgeon also happened to really like the sounds that were issuing from Rocinante the moment he'd gone back to lavishing attention to the blond's skin. Law slid further down Rocinante's body until, with a deep breath, the surgeon lowered his head and began to mouth along the fabric of his pants.

Rocinante made an interesting sound at that.

Encouraged, Law removed the pants without too much resistance, though he paused briefly when Rocinante seemed to jerk his legs. Whether in response to his touch or to get the pants off faster, Law wasn't sure.

After a bit of exploration and kisses to Rocinante's lower half, Law made his way back up the blond's body and kissed Rocinante.

Rocinante responded to that kiss by deepening it, clearly happy right then and there as he murmured something into the kiss.

Law, breathing hard by the end of that very nice kiss, gave Rocinante a searching look that the blond returned with a politely quizzical one. With a deep breath, Law slid away and settled onto his back and splayed out, trying to not feel terribly self-conscious about it. He presumed that Rocinante would figure out his intentions, and wasn't disappointed. The dark haired surgeon felt Rocinante stir next to him, before the blond turned over to stare at him, and after a moment the surgeon was pinned with a look that he had not seen in some time. But Law knew that Rocinante understood what he was silently offering, because the blond's hand slid beneath the back of his head as Rocinante leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips. Law felt Rocinante's other hand trace the bare skin of his side. And throughout the small exchange, Law was relieved to find that there was only a vestige of the memory of what had happened to him back at the cabin. Something so small, so meaningless now, that it did nothing to ruin this moment.

Law was grateful for that.

And besides, Rocinante was there with him. Patient Rocinante, who had never once pushed him. And since the blond hadn't pushed, Law was willing to go further that night, in order to move on and put unpleasant memories behind him, and replace them with something good.

-x-

Rocinante was so ecstatic right now that he almost didn't know what to do with himself. He hadn't expected for Law to initiate a make out like that and right that moment all that separated them from being skin to skin was the surgeon's briefs.

Those nice, snug briefs that left little to the imagination.

"Law..." Rocinante let out a soft groan as he pressed his face to the dark haired surgeon's neck and breathed. "I love you."

Mindful to not trap Law against the bed, Rocinante nuzzled along tanned skin and showered the surgeon with kisses. "I love you so much." Rocinante pulled back to kiss Law's cheek as he smiled a little uncertainly. "Are you sure that it is okay for us to try and…have sex again?" Rocinante almost couldn't finish the question at the thought of doing so swirling in the forefront of his mind.

"Yes." Law said breathlessly as he reached out to pat Rocinante's nearest hand. "I don't want to remember what happened back then….but I also don't want those memories to hold me back."

Rocinante leaned over to kiss Law's neck, and then proceeded to the surgeon's chest to kiss the large tattoo that was there. "I'll make sure it's enjoyable." Rocinante shifted in order to remove Law's briefs as he pressed a kiss to the surgeon's temple. As soon as he got the briefs off, Rocinante paused in his actions when he realized that Law had tensed up. Rocinante nuzzled his face against Law's neck. "Are you all right? Do you want to keep going?"

Law wriggled beneath Rocinante to get comfortable, presumably, before he gave a brief, wordless nod.

"That's not an answer, you know." Rocinante smiled and kissed Law's cheek again. "I want you to tell me, so I know that it's okay."

"It is. Just go slowly." Law managed to say after a few moments, as one of Rocinante' hands had dipped down in a questing way. "I want to mentally walk myself through this."

"Hm…did you read more books then? I thought you'd already have done so when we…did it the last time." Rocinante murmured as he absently trailed his hand along. That Law was actually responding to his touch was encouraging, so he gave Law a brief peck on the lips with a smile. "And of course I'll go slowly. I don't want to hurt you." Rocinante smiled down at Law and made sure to wait until he made eye contact with the surgeon before the smile softened and he continued.

"We'll only go as far as you are comfortable with." Rocinante propped himself up and rummaged around in a drawer of the nightstand nearby. Rocinante glanced out of the corner of his eyes and found that Law was blushing, and it was likely because, while Rocinante was holding himself up, he was still leaning up against the surgeon to reach over him. And by doing so, that likely clued the man in on the fact that Rocinante was incredibly aroused right now. More so than even Law himself. Rocinante produced some lube and a condom, and that prompted the surgeon to break his brief bout of silence.

"Why do you have those there?" Law hesitated, and, with a deeper flush, looked away. "You don't need the condom because we were tested before, remember?"

"I only had it there because I hoped we could try this again sometime, when you were ready." Rocinante peeked down at Law. "And if you don't want the condom, we don't have to use it."

"Then don't use it." Law said, and, in a faintly mortified tone, added. "I want to feel you."

Rocinante groaned something again and couldn't help but cage Law in against the bed just a little bit. But he took Law at his word and fumbled the lube open because he couldn't take how adorable Law was being about admitting what he wanted.

Law clung to Rocinante as soon as he noticed that the blond had the lube open.

"Is this all right? I'm not going to fast, am I?" Rocinante asked a few minutes later. The blond brushed a kiss to Law's throat as he moved his fingers.

"It is…fine." Law confirmed, even if his arms tightened around Rocinante.

Reassured, Rocinante continued, but it was only when he removed his fingers and pressed up against the surgeon did it seem to trigger something in Law. Rocinante froze at a whimper that seemed to spring unbidden in Law's throat, and the blond was worried he might have hurt Law in some way until the dark haired surgeon went slack and let out a low sigh.

"Law?" Rocinante asked, concerned. "Are you really sure that this is all right?"

"Mn, yes, it is." Law said after he took a moment to compose himself. "Keep going."

Rocinante did, but as soon as he got about partway in was when he realized that the dark haired surgeon seemed to be at his limit. Perhaps this wasn't the best idea...

"Wait. Please wait, Cora." Law choked out as he crossed his legs behind Rocinante's waist, when it seemed as if the blond was about to pull out. "Let me remember that it is you and not someone…else."

Rocinante found it very difficult to not move with Law squirming beneath him, and had to prop himself up with both his arms to make it even feasible for him to hold still.

"May I kiss you?" Rocinante saw Law nod, and was relived to do something to distract himself from the wonderful feeling he currently had, that he couldn't act upon until he knew with upmost certainty that it was something Law really wanted. The blond busied himself with kissing a slow line along Law's collarbone, before he moved on to give the surgeon little kisses between ear and jaw, which in turn caused Law to let out a soft moan at the action.

Rocinante wanted to smack himself because it made him move a bit and he really, really was trying very hard not to do anything until Law gave him the ok.

Law shifted again before he reached up to wrap his arms around Rocinante's neck, where he placed a brief kiss to the side of the blond's throat.

"Move." The surgeon said softly. "Before I remember _them_ , please move." Law let out a sharp cry when Rocinante again took him at his word and gave a tentative thrust. Law breathed out shakily and loosened his grasp in order to urge Rocinante into a brief kiss before he mumbled against the blond's lips. "Keep going, but be as gentle as you are able to be."

Rocinante made some hum of agreement, because at this point he had trouble forming any coherent words to answer the surgeon with. Rocinante settled into a slow and tentative rhythm, getting deeper with each movement, and his doubts began to lift as Law started to try and move along with him, and had even begun to pant his name breathlessly.

Rocinante kept the pace and soon found himself practically holding Law in a tight hug as he thrusted and whispered against Law's shoulder. "Love you. Love you and want to kiss you." Rocinante locked lips with the surgeon when Law tugged his hair up in order to meet the request, and in that moment, Rocinante was gone, lost in the moment. Being in Law was too much for his mind to handle after so long, and when he never thought it would happen again, and as soon as Rocinante had finished, he'd pulled out. With a blush, Rocinante had pressed himself to Law's side and ran a hand over the other man to make sure the surgeon came as well. The blond haired man almost, almost regretted not being inside of Law when the surgeon arched against him from his touch. Rocinante cleaned them up afterward in complete silence before crawling back into bed and pressing himself comfortably up against Law. Rocinante pressed a kiss to the side of the surgeon's neck, smiling when Law, clearly exhausted and content, turned his head to one side in order to give the blond better access.

Rocinante cuddled Law to his chest, but didn't quiet drape his arm over Law's waist. Now that his mind was back online and he knew where he was and what he and Law had done, Rocinante was worried that perhaps Law would leave the room or ask him to leave the room. Or would not want him to touch him.

Law banished Rocinante's doubts by turning over and kissing him briefly on the lips. With a soft sigh, the surgeon pressed himself against Rocinante's bare skin and rested an arm over the blond's waist.

"Was it...all right?" Law asked into Rocinante's shoulder a minute or so later in a vague tone.

The blond haired officer was startled into laughter as he leaned over and brushed a kiss to Law's forehead. The blond then nuzzled his cheek against Law's hair as he smiled.

"Cora?"

"I should be the one asking you that." Rocinante asked with a faint trace of embarrassment. He felt he hadn't been too rough, as Law had asked him not to be, but the blond haired man had also briefly blanked out toward the end from a rush of exhilaration that they had actually been able to go and have-

"It was…similar to the first time we did it up at the cabin that one night." Law's tone became bland and partially distracted. "The sensations were certainly more pleasurable than when I'd been held down and-"

"Don't think of it. Please don't." Rocinante hugged Law to him, arm just above the surgeon's from where Law had it draped over his waist. "I want you to heal. I don't want to hurt you, but…." Rocinante looked down at Law hesitantly and made eye contact with him when the surgeon peeked up at him. "I hope I didn't push you just now."

Law blinked up at the blond slowly before he settled back against Rocinante and absently traced his skin with a hand. "I was serious about trying to have sex with you again. You never pushed me about it, after all, the whole time we have been together. And you checked with me throughout tonight if it was fine to go on. Even if I'm not sure about how often I would be...interested in doing this."

Rocinante tucked his face against the side of Law's neck and let out a slow breath. He'd kind of figured that Law was not all that interested in actually having sex, but was happy that he'd tried again, presumably to make him happy. And Rocinante didn't care how often they happened to get around to having sex when the blond was just happy that Law was able to be in the same room as him and kiss him without any flinching or-

"Cora?" Law gripped one of Rocinante's hands in his own. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." Rocinante murmured as he placed a kiss to the tanned skin before him. "I love you." The blond haired man felt the surgeon's free hand run through his hair as Law's other hand gripped his just a little bit more tightly.

Rocinante wordlessly held Law close. He loved the dark haired surgeon so much. Rocinante knew that there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for Law, whether it happened to break the rules or not. That may have bothered Rocinante at one point in time, but now, it didn't so much matter so long as Law was safe. And right now, as the two of them drifted off, Rocinante knew that there was nowhere else he would rather be but there with Law.

Little did Rocinante knew that he was about to have to deal with Doflamingo sooner than he believed he would have to. Rocinante had no idea that his older brother had no intention whatsoever of leaving Law out of their…disagreement, and it was something that would finally push the blond haired officer over the edge to take matters into his own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a few chapters to go. I will admit to the fic ending on an angst note, hence the sequel.


	66. Chapter 66

Law woke up the next morning with a sleepy yawn. After feeling a slight kink in one leg, Law decided to make a languid stretch that was sure to have gotten a certain blond haired officer's attention should he have seen it. A certain blond who should have still been in the room with Law when he woke up, but wasn't. The dark haired surgeon let his head drop back onto the pillow with a low sigh as his eyes tiredly roamed the room for any sign of Rocinante. When he deemed that he was alone, the dark haired surgeon's eyes closed. Law shifted, winced, and held still, a faint blush rising on his cheeks when the previous night's events caught up with him.

"Cora…" Law mumbled before he went quiet. The surgeon pondered the things that had happened leading up to yesterday, and since his body was a bit sore in certain…areas…that meant that the previous night's activities did happen after all.

Namely, sex.

Sex with Rocinante.

For a second time in his life.

Something the dark haired surgeon had never expected to experience in his life, ever. Law still had trouble fathoming how he'd gone from not being at all interested in romance in any capacity to having what he now shared with Rocinante.

Law carefully turned over in bed to bury his face into the pillow, appalled with himself for how he had reacted to Rocinante's touch the night before. He'd waited over six months before trying to be intimate again with Rocinante, and while he was glad that unpleasant memories hadn't surfaced during sex, Law wasn't quite sure what to think of it. He hadn't up at the cabin, and he didn't really know now. The dark haired surgeon supposed it was okay, but really, after the second time, he'd be quite content to not do it on a frequent basis. He was far more interested in being close to Rocinante, and close didn't necessarily mean sex. It was more of a preference, the surgeon presumed, than anything that had happened to him. He'd never been interested in sex to begin with, but when it came to Rocinante….

Rocinante was different.

The dark haired surgeon let out a sigh as he buried his face further into the pillow. Law felt that Rocinante wouldn't mind or hold it against him if he didn't want to have sex very often, if at all, and the surgeon had a sneaking suspicion that Rocinante would never have sex with him again if the blond caught wind of the fact that Law was more or less indifferent to it.

Rocinante really was too sweet for his own good sometimes, especially when he put everyone's needs, especially Law's, before his own.

Law decided, some ten minutes later after he's stopped trying to suffocate himself with the pillow, that he would do it again with Rocinante on special occasions, and if he felt up to it. And then Law realized that the pillow he'd been using smelled like stale smoke. The surgeon brought to pillow close and pressed his face into it again. It kind of smelled like Rocinante. When he realized what he was doing, Law flushed and pulled away from the pillow before he tossed it away from him, again embarrassed by his reactions.

What was wrong with him? Couldn't he just think about Rocinante without getting sappy over things like scent that reminded him of the man?

The pillow Law had thrown happened to hit something, which grunted upon impact, followed by a loud clatter as that someone fell over.

Law lurched up, his thoughts completely banished as he focused on the person that had come into the bedroom. Or rather, the person he'd hit the pillow with that had come into the room. The dark haired surgeon had a brief moment of panic for not realizing that someone had come into the bedroom in the first place, and then another surge of panic when he saw that it was Rocinante. It appeared as if the blond had hit his head against the dresser when he'd fallen over from being hit by the pillow. Rocinante was on the ground by it right now, and had a hand to his head while wearing a rueful smile. Law wanted to hide beneath the bedcovers for the sheer embarrassment that arose from the fact that he'd caused the blond to fall over. Law saw the smile change, and felt that perhaps going under the bed would be a better choice. He could hug the pillow to him beneath there and not be so self-conscious about it.

"Did I do something wrong or were you thinking of cleaning the pillow?" Rocinante asked, not even bothering to spare said pillow a glance as his eyes met Law's instead as he flashed a more normal smile.

An amused one.

Law seriously considered sliding off the bed and taking his embarrassment with him into the bathroom instead, when he caught Rocinante absently tracing a hand through his hair over one spot in particular. The dark haired surgeon again considered bubble warp at the sight, even if he had been the one to cause the fall via pillow. Law slid out of bed as he'd decided to do, but instead of going to lock himself in the master bathroom, he instead went immediately to Rocinante's side. Law's instincts as a doctor took over as the surgeon urged the blond up into a seated position, concern for Rocinante's health trumping any form of embarrassment he might still feel.

"Cora, hold still." Law said firmly as he reached out and took Rocinante's head in his hands. In a practiced manner, the surgeon began to feel around the top of the other man's head. Law kept focused on the task at hand even if he inwardly enjoyed carding his hands through Rocinante's hair. It was as soft as it always was, and he was very tempted to give it an extra good ruffle when he was finished inspecting for injuries.

Rocinante held still as best as he could, and sneakily reached out with his hands to hold on to Law to keep himself from falling over backward. It was a possibility, even if the man was sitting down. It had happened before, much to Law's exasperation. At the very least Rocinante was not on fire, as that had happened before as well.

"You don't feel any dizziness, do you?" Law questioned as he ran contemplative fingers through the blond haired officer's hair, and over the place he presumed that Rocinante had hit. The area that he had seen the blond touching moments before. Law was concerned because it was near the area that Vergo had struck some months ago. The dark haired man was worried that any strike to the head elsewhere might throw the blond's center of balance off again.

"No." Rocinante said softly in answer. "I don't feel dizzy. It just feels a bit sore, that's all." The blond fell silent, and had Law been looking the blond in the eyes he would have seen that Rocinante was checking him out and that the blond blushed a bit and let his gaze linger the lower it got on Law's body. "How are you this morning?"

"You need to be more careful." Law said, ignoring the question as he let out a slow sigh. Nothing seemed to be amiss, and Rocinante would likely have nothing more than a small lump on his head to show for it. And he did give Rocinante's hair a good long ruffle, which had the blond laughing softly by the time the surgeon let go of him.

"Having fun?" Rocinante asked with a smile.

Law reached up silently in order to get the blond to lean over so that he could hug Rocniante's head to his shoulder. The surgeon held him there, and kept him there, his grasp tightening as he wasn't particularly sure what to say or do right now.

"You do know that you're rather cute when you are being awkward, right?" Rocinante scooted closer and let his hands roam up and down Law's sides lightly, before they stilled and the blond's arms wrapped around the surgeon's back.

Law was glad that Rocinante couldn't see him right now or he would have seen the betraying flush that had risen briefly. The blond haired officer knew him rather well by now to make such observations, even if Law was never going to confirm or deny what was said.

"I didn't want to wake you earlier." Rocinante turned his head as much as he could in order to kiss Law's arm, as he couldn't reach the surgeon's neck from where he was being held. "I was just coming back to see if you were awake and if you were, to tell you that breakfast was ready."

"You didn't go in the kitchen…" Law trailed off as he let go of Rocinante's head in order to cup the blond's jaw in both of his hands as he made eye contact. "You didn't, did you?"

"No, of course not." Rocinante offered a smile before he closed his eyes as Law's fingers spread out to include his cheeks. The blond let out a content sigh as he leaned into the surgeon's touch. "There are far too many objects in the kitchen that I could potentially collide with other than the dresser in here. Sharper objects." Rocinante opened his eyes, a hint of mischievousness entering his features. "But before you go downstairs for breakfast you should get some clothes on. I don't mind if you go around the house naked but I doubt that you want to show so much skin to your roommates."

Law colored as his gaze darted down to realize that yes, he was stark naked and Rocinante didn't seem to be put off in the least bit. The surgeon let go of the other man immediately, but it seemed as if the blond had other plans. The kiss that Law was given as soon as Rocinante closed the distance between them showed him that the blond was still being respectful of his space, as he had backed way as soon as the kiss was done. It was obvious that Rocinante wanted to give the surgeon another kiss but was holding himself back. Law, a little dazed from the heated kiss, barely got a few steps in his search for clothes, before he fell over with a surprised yelp.

"By the way..." Rocinante caught the surgeon mid-fall because he was still seated. Rocinante brought the surgeon closer to peck Law on the cheek before he brushed his lips against the surgeon's neck with another, more teasing smile. "I hope I wasn't too rough last night."

Law most certainly blushed that time and straightened up to get to his feet, and made an attempt to brush off the sudden self-conscious blush of Rocinante watching his every move. "I'm fine." Law took a few steps toward the dresser before he added. "And you were gentler, like I asked. I…appreciated that." The surgeon dressed as quickly as he was able to. Law was sure that Rocinante's eyes were on him, but he was able to get dressed anyway before he turned around and silently offered Rocinante a hand. Law squirmed inwardly at the beaming smile that he received for his actions, and focused on schooling his expression into a stoic, unconcerned one as he assisted Rocinante to his feet. When the blond haired officer was up, Law began to lead the way with one hand wrapped firmly around Rocinante's to guide him along lest he fall over again.

Rocinante merely smiled the entire way out of the room and down the stairs to the dining room over the fact that Law had watched him with a careful eye.

The dark haired surgeon had frowned in return, clearly concerned that Rocinante was more interested in watching him than watching where he was going, and held on to Rocinante's hand even tighter. By the time they reached the bottom stair, Law decided that he had to tell Rocinante to pay attention when the blond suddenly gave him something else to think about. Law let out a breathless gasp as Rocinante used the hand the surgeon held in his grasp to turn them so that Law was suddenly up against the nearest wall of the living room.

"Cora?" Law asked, confused when he realized that his heart raced a little faster at the intense and fixed look that had appeared in the other man's eyes. "What is it?"

Rocinante offered the barest hint of a smile before he leaned over and locked lips with Law. After a few seconds the blond's tongue slid out to flick across Law's closed ones. The dark haired man gasped into the kiss, not expecting that, and the blond took the opportunity to lazily and thoroughly explore the inside of Law's mouth.

The surgeon wrapped his arms around Rocinante's neck to urge him closer, which the blond did immediately without any other prompting, so that he had Law pinned firmly against the wall. Law liked these kisses. He and Rocinante hadn't had one quite like this in some time, and the surgeon was surprised to find that he had missed them.

Rocinante hummed something into the kiss before he was forced to break it for air and when he did he rested his forehead against Law's briefly with a happy sigh.

Law was perplexed, and even more so when Rocinante leaned in to give him yet another kiss, one of the blond's hands gently settling in his hair. It was as if the other man was making up for the time that he hadn't been giving the surgeon such passionate kisses. Law made sure that it was him that explored the other's mouth this time around, and it seemed to him that Rocinante was silently encouraging it.

By the time that kiss had ended Law was breathless. In all honestly, in that very moment with Rocinante beaming down at him, the surgeon couldn't even remember why the two of them had come downstairs in the first place. If they were going to continue to kiss and paw one another as they were, and even though he wasn't exactly feeling aroused in any way, he was fairly certain that Rocinante was and figured that-

"Breakfast, Law." Rocinante prompted with a smile, before he backed away and headed for the dining room.

Law remained in place for a long moment as he watched Rocinante, before his brain decided to come back on line and make him flush a bit.

Breakfast indeed.

Rocinante wanted something but it most certainly wasn't breakfast. The dark haired surgeon supposed a conversation would have to wait until after breakfast, and for a time to come that neither of them would be interrupted by Shachi or Penguin.

-x-

Breakfast was mostly eaten in silence, although Law suspected that Shachi desperately wanted to say something with the expression that he wore and was proven correct about ten minutes later.

"So, you guys finally had sex, huh?" Shachi asked innocently, even though he wore a grin. "Do you like, you know, get a prize for waiting for so long?" The red head went back to his food with a smirk, not aware that the two other men had had sex once before.

Not that Law would ever admit to it, even at gunpoint. Some things would stay a secret, but it was clear that the surgeon took issue with his red headed roommate's words.

Penguin, seated next to Shachi, shook his head wordlessly as he continued to work on his plate of pancakes with a fork. He wasn't about to get involved unless it was to dissuade Law from strangling the red head.

Rocinante was forced to reach out and wrap his arms around Law's waist when the surgeon's hand automatically clenched around a knife. Concern was written across Rocinante's features over the fact that he believed that Law had been around Doflamingo for too long.

"I think this is the point where we will leave and come back later." Rocinante said as he pulled Law out of his seat and further away from Shachi.

"I'll clean up." Penguin said in return, watching with slight surprise as Law let loose some inarticulate growl and threw the knife at Shachi.

The red head hastily got out of the way of the knife as it disappeared into the kitchen and struck something.

"Can you try not to antagonize him?" Rocinante asked, sounding a bit exasperated.

"Let go of me!" Law insisted, the surgeon's eyes falling on the other knife on the table.

The blond hastily excused himself and Law from the table by forcibly dragging the dark haired surgeon along, not giving Law a chance to get his hands on another knife to launch at Shachi.

"Think Rocinante's gonna make him forget that he's pissed at me?" Shachi asked curiously as he cautiously emerged from beneath the table.

Penguin just ate his food, not wishing to say anything on the matter.

-x-

Rocinante was firm in his decision to take Law back up to their room, and was relieved that the dark haired surgeon only made a token of protest as they went up the stairs. Rocinante was grateful; he'd have fallen down the stairs without Law subconsciously holding on to him and assisting him up.

As soon as they were in the room and their door locked, Law seemed to give up on his animosity toward Shachi and instead sat on the bed to fume in silence.

Rocinante hesitated only a moment before he went over to the bed and sat down. He waited to see Law's reactions, and when the surgeon did nothing but stay where he was, Rocinante leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. Encouraged that the surgeon didn't budge, the blond picked up Law's nearest hand and brought it to brush his lips over it. That drew a faint blush, but still the dark haired surgeon did nothing. Rocinante leaned over to kiss Law, before he made his way down the dark haired surgeon's neck, one hand sliding along Law's side.

"Cora…" Law breathed out faintly.

Rocinante slid off onto the floor and settled in front of Law, who had braced his hands on the bed and stared at him like he wasn't sure what to do now. Rocinante rested his cheek against Law's thigh and raised a brow at him as one hand rested on the surgeon's belt in question.

Seeing Law jerk his head in what appeared to be a nod of consent, Rocinante lifted his head up again and undid Law's belt, before he began to inch the surgeon's pants down his legs. The blond was surprised when Law did nothing to stop him. Still Rocinante moved forward with caution, and paused when got Law's pants to pool at his ankles. When nothing was said, the blond hooked his thumbs into either side of the surgeon's briefs and chanced a look up at Law again.

The surgeon was quietly watching him from beneath hooded lids, and the blond could tell that Law's breath had quickened from the actions he was taking.

Rocinante wasn't sure why he decided that he was going to try and give Law a blowjob but he felt he needed to do something to ease the tension that had built up in Law over the course of breakfast. Rocinante kept his eyes on Law's golden gaze as he tugged the briefs down to let them join the pants at the surgeon's ankles.

"Okay?" Rocinante asked as he settled his hands on Law's thighs.

The surgeon gave a single, sharp nod.

Rocinante moved a bit closer and after a brief moment's thought slid his hands beneath Law's bare ass and gave the cheeks an experimental squeeze of his hands. Because he hadn't tried it before and was curious to see what reaction kind of reaction it elicited from the surgeon.

Law yelped something embarrassingly high pitched at the unexpected action and gripped Rocinante's shoulders.

"Cora….what are you?" Law's voice was shaky and a little bit breathy, yet it appeared that the dark haired man was a little more interested in what was happening now than before when they'd first gotten back to the room.

Rocinante kept his hands where they were as he leaned over and began to lavish attention on Law's pathetically limp dick. The blond figured that Law's body hadn't quite caught up with his mind, and after he gave the dark haired man's backside a few more squeezes with his hands, Law groaned something and gripped his shoulders even tighter than he had been before. Rocinante felt Law's breath against the top of his head as he kept his mouth occupied, and felt that stimulating Law elsewhere, in this case, his ass, appeared to give him something else to think about as Rocinante licked and sucked his way along.

If the blond haired man had not been so concerned with distracting Law in some way Rocinante might have had a bit more pause before doing what he was doing. A minute or so later and Rocinante could tell that at the very least Law's body was interested in this sudden act, and that it appeared as if the surgeon was still having some trouble trying to decide what to do about the unexpected touch.

Rocinante pulled back and licked his way up and down, waiting for Law to say something, anything, as he wanted to know if he was doing all right or not. And as soon as Rocinante went down on Law again and gave his backside another squeeze of his hands, the dark haired surgeon finally broke down with a soft groan and leaned over, hands faltering in their grip depending on what Rocinante did with his mouth.

"Cora…I think I'm…" Law moaned something incoherent as he jerked his hips at a particular suck that Rocinante gave him and whimpered something. The surgeon apparently didn't know whether to focus on Rocinante's hands or his mouth at that point in time.

Rocinante was surprised when Law shuddered and went boneless over him instead of going backward. The blond carefully drew back and moved his hands away from the surgeon's backside in order to reach up and grip Law so that the surgeon didn't fall forward.

Law blinked dazedly at Rocinante before he squirmed forward to rest his head against the blond's shoulder with a sigh.

Rocinante struggled, briefly, to get the both of them on the bed, and was silently amused that Law was so clingy right now. And then it was his turn to color slightly as Law got out of his embrace some minutes later and-

The blond haired officer let his head fall back onto the pillow in complete surprise as Law wasted no time in divesting him of his pants and briefs before there was a hot mouth on him and-

Well then, Rocinante supposed that Law wasn't as shy as he had been before, at least in this moment, because he was giving him a blow job like he was trying to outdo what the blond had just done to him. Rocinante went limp at a hum and a hard suck and even though he really wanted to he couldn't bring himself to lift his head to look at Law.

The mouth retreated as if sensing Rocinante's thoughts.

"Cora?"

Rocinante reluctantly propped himself up to look at Law, and stilled as soon as the dark haired surgeon fixed him with that golden gaze. Rocinante stared at the surgeon for what seemed like a long time before he made a faint sound at the sight of Law giving him a smirk and going back down on him with something akin to a moan. Rocinante immediately dropped his head back onto the pillow and issued a thin sound through his nose.

The blond haired man definitely hadn't expected something like this so soon and because of it and teasing Law before, the blond did not last as long. When Rocinante felt the dark haired surgeon swallow around him he felt that he should have told Law that he didn't have to do that even if it was hot and all but Law really didn't have to if he didn't want to and-

"You're thinking too much again, Cora." Law said simply as he crawled up and onto the bed again to curl against Rocinante's side, head on the blond's chest.

Rocinante draped his arm wordlessly over Law's waist and held him close.

"Cora?"

"Hm?" Rocinante asked, sated. He felt like he might be able to fall asleep again at this rate.

"I…I love you."

That woke Rocinante up from the stupor he was in, and the blond haired man rolled over so that he could enthusiastically give Law kisses to show him how much he loved it when the surgeon said such things to him aloud.

"I love you too, Law." Rocinante murmured warmly with a happy smile. The blond nuzzled against the side of Law's neck before he captured the surgeon's lips in a brief kiss.

Law was obviously comfortable enough around Rocinante again to be able to playfully fend the kisses off, at least until the blond focused on his neck. The surgeon went limp with a soft moan as Rocinante gave him feather light kisses between ear and jaw over and over like he couldn't get enough of the taste of his skin.

Rocinante left off the teasing and just held Law against him as he pressed his face against the surgeon's neck with a content exhalation. The blond haired officer missed just cuddling with Law like this and from the way that the surgeon soon had their limbs tangled together, it was clear that Law had missed the closeness as well.

The blond was happy to stay like that on the bed while he kissed the person he loved. Rocinante decided that he would remain in that room with Law for as long as the surgeon wished to, and right now, it seemed as if Law had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Rocinante was fine with that, because he didn't want to leave either.


	67. Chapter 67

Law had not heard from Doflamingo for weeks since the man had gone into hiding and there was a warrant out for his arrest.

The surgeon was rather relieved that he hadn't gotten any calls because it meant that he wasn't going to have to go against his ethics as a surgeon and kill people for Doflamingo through the use of drugs. And eventually, Law had even used some weapons when a victim didn't die fast enough from the drugs administered to them. Law knew that there were still rumors of the Surgeon of Death circulating about and he hoped that they would stay just that.

Rumors.

The phone in his pocket went off, and Law, thinking that it might be Rocinante, answered it without thinking. "Cora?"

' _Do you two always answer the phone thinking it's the other? That's too nauseatingly sweet, for you, at least. I could see Roci liking to do that. He doesn't really have anyone else that cares about him that much.'_

Law's stomach dropped and he did a quick look around to reassure himself that he was alone in the house before he addressed Doflamingo. "What do you want?"

' _Fufufu. You're a smart kid. Guess.'_ Doflamingo's voice was not friendly in the least bit.

"I won't kill anyone else for you." Law said firmly. "The police will find you."

' _They might.'_ Doflamingo agreed, a little too easily. _'But I find myself not too inclined to be in a jail or worse, receive the death penalty, if that happens to come up.'_

"Maybe you should have given that some thought before you went too far." Law pointed out, wondering how quick he could get to the police station. He was halfway to the door when he realized the front door was an inch open, and it most certainly wasn't a minute ago when he had checked. He always made sure to have the door locked when he was home alone, and it wasn't.

' _Something the matter, Law?'_ Doflamingo sounded gleeful now. _'Are you having second thoughts about my intentions now? Something other than having you kill someone, perhaps?'_

Law gripped the phone in his hand tightly, but said nothing as he took a few steps toward the door. The dark haired surgeon stopped short as Doflamingo, fucking Doflamingo, stepped out from seemingly nowhere to slam the front door shut. Law did not like the terrible grin that spilled across the other man's face, and wasted no time to dart into the nearest room before Doflamingo moved toward him.

"Going somewhere?"

Law slammed the door shut behind him and locked it as he looked around the small guest bedroom uselessly. He had no doubt why Doflamingo was there now and he cursed himself for not thinking that Doflamingo wouldn't stoop to trying to do something to him to get through to Rocinante. There was a loud hammer on the door and Law hung up on the other man before he could say anything, even if that did nothing to prevent Doflamingo from speaking through the door.

"I don't have time to waste playing around with you, you damn brat."

Law squeezed his way into the small closet of the room and fumbled with his phone as he desperately scrolled through contacts as he heard Doflamingo start to ram the door. He would likely be able to bring it down, being taller and a good deal heavier than Law himself. Law managed to get a few texts sent off to his friends before he located Rocinante's number and called it.

Rocinante picked up on the first ring, but Law cut the man's happy greeting off, voice desperate.

"He's at the house." Law grimaced at the sound of Doflamingo breaking down the door with an ominous laugh. The dark haired surgeon was frustrated that Rocinante sounded flustered, and added, in a quiet voice lest Doflamingo hear him. "Your brother, Cora. He's here, at the house."

Rocinante no longer sounded confused, and Law was surprised to hear the anger and the tautness in the blond haired officer's voice. _'Get out of there.'_

"I can't." Law grimaced and pressed himself further back in the closet at the sound of Doflamingo flipping something in the room in search of him. "Can't." The surgeon managed to say, even if he was currently angry with the way he was being cornered.

' _I'm going there now. I'll-'_

Law didn't hear what else Rocinante had to say because the closet door opened at that very moment and a large hand wrenched the phone from Law's grasp. And crushed it, tossing the broken device carelessly to the side.

The glasses covered eyes seemed to turn in the surgeon's direction as Doflamingo tilted his head to regard him silently.

Law pressed his back against the far side of the closet, trying to make himself as small as possible because he had no desire for the man to do something similar to him.

"Don't keep wasting my time." Doflamingo gritted out as he reached out and seized the surgeon's nearest arm.

Law immediately lashed out with a pocket knife he'd found in the back of the closet, and grimly moved past Doflamingo when the man let out a hiss of surprise at his forearm being cut. Law didn't get as far as he'd have liked because Doflamingo pivoted almost immediately and seized his other arm.

Law's teeth clacked together as Doflamingo slammed him up against the nearest wall, and struggled to regain the breath that had been forced out of his body as Doflamingo loomed close with a sharp grin.

"Trying to call for help?"

Law wheezed something in return and decided that Doflamingo had caused him to hit the wall harder than he'd thought. Law was still disoriented as he felt the other man fling him over a shoulder and squeeze his thighs in warning. Law hung limply and hoped that there would be police cars surrounding the house, but when he was taken outside, there was nothing.

Not even neighborhood cars.

"I'm done playing games." Doflamingo growled as he headed for a car parked a little further along down the street. "I am going to make Roci regret ever exposing my underground market."

Law winced as he was carelessly shoved into the car, and squirmed as Doflamingo got a little too close, but it was to merely cuff his hands behind his back. The dark haired surgeon was going to say something, anything, to try and delay Doflamingo, when a gag was shoved roughly into his mouth and a blindfold was forced over his eyes. Law grunted as he was pushed over onto his stomach, and the surgeon half curled up defensively as he heard a door slam shut. Another opened, and Law heard a car start as soon as that door was closed. And then Doflamingo's voice spoke.

"I decided that I would start with you first, since you practically have my brother at your beck and call."

Law heard a click of what he thought sounded like a cell phone taking a picture, and couldn't help but think that Doflamingo was trying to lure Rocinante into a trap.

With the dark haired surgeon as bait.

And when the car started to drive and Doflamingo chuckled lowly at something or another, Law couldn't help but feel this wouldn't end well.

-x-

Rocinante tried to text Law. Tried to call him, but the dark haired surgeon did not answer. The lack of response meant that Doflamingo must have gotten to Law, and Rocinante really didn't want to think about the surgeon being in his brother's clutches again. He had no idea what Doflamingo might do at this point.

A ping indicated to Rocinante that he'd received a text message.

"Law..." The blond hastily checked his phone but froze in place as soon as he saw what it was.

A picture.

A picture of Law, bound and gagged and blindfolded, in the back of a car. Rocinante felt sick to his stomach with worry as a message followed the picture.

_I believe that I will take your toy as part of my compensation for you and your station meddling in my affairs._

_Leave Law out of this, he has nothing to do with our quarrel._ Rocinante texted back. _If you wanted to meet face to face, I would have. You didn't have to take Law to make me show up._

The response from Doflamingo was quick.

_What guarantee other than Law would I have needed to make sure you didn't bring any friends along with you?_

_Don't hurt him._ Rocinante texted, ignoring the flurry of activity going on around him. _Where do you want me to go to meet you?_

Doflamingo's response was rather ominous. _Whoever said that I needed to meet with you? I was just letting you know that I'd be taking Law._

Rocinante felt a chill. It would figure that his brother's twisted nature would come into play, writing Law off as some toy that he thought the blond haired officer kept around as something to play around with. And that wasn't it at all, and if only Doflamingo could wrap his mind around the fact that Rocinante enjoyed Law's company, loved him and treated him as a person and not a thing, it might help. But because of how Doflamingo was, it made it difficult to show him things like that.

Another text pinged in, and Rocinante checked it. The blond haired officer felt as if his stomach had been clenched and wrenched into knots at the sight that greeted him on the screen.

Woods.

The picture was of a wooded area.

A familiar wooded area.

But it wasn't the wooded area that made Rocinante sick with worry. It was the blurb of text beneath the picture.

_I think I'll play with him a bit. I'm curious to see if you trained him at all or if you just admired him from afar_ . _No matter what you said before that you had done something with him._

Anger surged throughout Rocinante as he made his way to the front of the police station and toward the train station, texting his brother back in a flurry of words. _Do not touch him. Keep your hands off of him. Law has been through enough because of you. He doesn't need even more bad memories, and especially not from you._ Rocinante knew that it was useless, especially when Doflamingo didn't bother to respond. And when Doflamingo didn't answer Rocinante's attempts to call him after that, the blond haired officer pocketed his phone and raced to make the next train.

Law.

He had to get to Law, before Doflamingo did anything to cause the dark haired surgeon any more distress.

Rocinante, blinded by his singular goal, didn't notice that two people in the police station had noticed his behavior, and had followed along after him at a distance.

-x-

By the time Rocinante reached the wooded area, he knew that his brother was serious. There were a lot of people from Doflamingo's 'family' in the woods, and they weren't about to make things easy on Rocinante. But the blond haired officer didn't care as he flicked the safety of his gun off, and his expression became grim. Rocinante had no time to waste on these fools, as he wasn't about to let anyone get in his way of finding Law.

A hail of bullets exploded into the silence of the woods, and Rocinante threw himself headlong into the fight, baring his teeth as he chucked something that the other people most certainly hadn't thought to think he might have.

A grenade.

He made sure to throw it so that he didn't take anyone's limbs off, but if they got hit with shrapnel, Rocinante figured he'd have one less person to shoot. He was breaking the rules now but he didn't care one bit at that point in time because Law was on his mind. The dark haired surgeon was in danger, and he didn't like that.

Not at all.

Rocinante watched the area where the grenade went off and the flames that consumed some of the trees. The blond watched it burn as he merely lit a cigarette and breathed out a thin trail of smoke as a few people hit the ground with moans of pain. Rocinante waited a brief moment, and then continued on, breaking into a slow run and firing shots when something moved. Right now anything that made a move or tried to slow him was an enemy, and it was shoot first, ask questions later. Teeth bit down tight against cigarette as Rocinante made his way through the woods, and the flames licked along the trees.

He _would_ find Law and make certain that his brother didn't take him away from him again.

Doflamingo had crossed the line one too many times, and Rocinante was ready to make him see reason, whether he wanted to or not. And if his brother happened to touch Law, Doflamingo wouldn't know what hit him. If there was one thing that Rocinante would not forgive him for, it would be for doing anything that remotely resembled intimacy with the dark haired surgeon.

And when Rocinante did come upon them, he was shocked, to say the least, as the blond haired officer really didn't think his brother would stoop so low. Rocinante should have known better and felt that he perhaps should have brought more ammunition with him because this was not going to end well.


	68. Chapter 68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...happy feelings gone. FYI, angst and non con this chapter.

Doflamingo laughed at the absurd turn his life had taken. He hadn't had a clue that he would be forced into hiding, and it was all because his little brother couldn't keep his nose out of his business. Or keep any of his coworkers out of his business, for that matter. And Rocinante had to have encouraged all of the spying and information gathering, since his brother was so fixated on Law, and Doflamingo figured the best way to get back at Rocinante was to take his toy away. If his brother didn't have Law around, perhaps he would be able to see reason better. Doflamingo had been tempted to answer the calls he had been receiving since he'd whisked Law away. Although if he had picked up those calls, Doflamingo would have been tempted to just laugh and taunt his brother, but figured it was more fitting this way. He wanted Rocinante to fret and worry over the dark haired surgeon.

The older Donquixote brother grinned to himself. He had meant it when he had told Rocinante that he was going to play around with Law. Doflamingo still had plans for the surgeon, and if Law didn't learn his place, it was going to be difficult to get the other man to do as he wanted. A surgeon was useful to have around. Doflamingo didn't necessarily have to stay in the same city or even the country that he was in right now. He had his real family, and as soon as he was rid of the last of his so called blood family, Rocinante, Doflamingo felt that he would likely be able to deal with Law.

It would be a good deal easier if the surgeon had nothing left to protect.

Doflamingo figured that he'd leave Law's two roommates alive, as both would be easily dealt with if they raised a fuss. Besides, if he got Law out of the country, and away from them, and had no one else to protect him, then Doflamingo figured that he could manipulate Law without worrying about the other man giving him any grief or fighting back. Doflamingo brought himself back to the present with a leer. And speaking of manipulating, his little baby brother had certainly gotten some if Doflamingo could work Law over in a hand and get him to respond, no matter how distasteful the dark haired surgeon may have found it.

"Roci is foolish if he comes here alone." Doflamingo commented aloud with a grin. He knew that despite Law's preoccupation of remaining as silent as possible that he had the surgeon's attention. The brief shift of those golden eyes was all Doflamingo had needed to see. "It's such a shame, but it seems as if the time has come to kill my brother. To keep him quiet."

There was a sharp intake of breath, like Law was going to say something.

Doflamingo let his hand rest heavier around what he had in his hand, and soon enough Law was more focused on keeping any other sounds from leaving his body. Doflamingo relinquished the pressure after making it clear that Law should hold his tongue, and continued speaking. "My brother knows more about my illegal work than anyone else, and I doubt he's said anything to his superiors, in order to keep you safe. So, anyone else would have difficulty convicting me of any wrongdoing if he weren't around." Doflamingo looked down at Law and his grin widened a bit. "I guess I can see a little of what about you appeals to my brother. You certainly get hard when you're touched, in any case. Did he have to work at that or do you just like being touched here?" Doflamingo slid a hand along to cut Law's response off as his thumb traced the tip of the dark haired surgeon's cock in a slow circle. Doflamingo tilted his head to the other side and let his tongue loll out in brief amusement. "Perhaps he just likes you because you're shorter than him."

Law grit his teeth and looked like he wanted to do nothing more than punch Doflamingo. Unfortunately, his hands were still cuffed behind his back from before, so the surgeon was not able to do anything other than glare. "You won't get away with this."

"Oh, I think I will." Doflamingo countered as he ran his hand along at a faster pace, drawing out a faint gasp. "Roci is a soft hearted fool. I could be in the middle of fucking you and he'd be too afraid to shoot me out of concern for the possibility of hitting you." Doflamingo rested his chin on Law's shoulder as he stroked the surgeon's shaft, and chuckled as the other man writhed in his grasp. Doflamingo said nothing as he concentrated on driving Law to a release, and with a few more deft movements, succeeded. The blond laughed darkly as he moved his hand away, and considered the mess on his hand as Law dropped limply on the bed in the small room of the cabin they were in. "I wonder what he would think if he caught me fucking you." Doflamingo repeated vaguely as he reached over with a hand and pressed the base of Law's neck into the bedsheets.

"There's nothing to think of it because you won't be doing that." Law's voice was muffled as he fought back, growling a curse of some sort as the hand on his neck rested heavier. The surgeon was about to bite something else scathing out when Doflamingo made his move.

Unconcerned with the resistance he was being presented with, Doflamingo reached over and curled a finger in.

"Stop." Law made a funny sound in the back of his throat as the other man merely shoved the digit in deeper in response. "Stop it."

"Do you tell Roci to stop? He probably would stop too, wouldn't he, before you two got around to the good part? He's too nice for his own good." Doflamingo chuckled in a low, amused way and merely added another finger as he leaned over and breathed against the side of Law's neck, his hand pressing the surgeon further down on the bed. "You know, you could always pretend that I'm my brother. That'd make things easier."

"Stop." Law snapped irritably, making another attempt to move away, but the grip Doflamingo had on him was solid and unwavering.

Doflamingo ignored the resistance and added a third finger before he spoke bemusedly. "I doubt my brother will find this place easily." Doflamingo spent some time fingering Law, half because he felt like it and half because Law appeared to be conflicted as he couldn't see him. And it made the blond decide that he wanted to play some more. "Does he touch you like this?" Doflamingo twisted his fingers suddenly, and caught the barley there moan. The blond acted as if he'd found a wonderful toy and made the movement again. "Does he do this for you or does he watch you do it?"

Law was breathing erratically as if he were too conflicted to say anything, and only managed a single word. "Stop."

Doflamingo heard distant gunfire, and that alone made him reluctantly remove his fingers, as if his fun had been interrupted. His smile had slipped in any case. "Perhaps I spoke too soon. I guess my little brother is bolder when it comes to you. Pity." Doflamingo sighed as if put off by this new development. "Too bad. I'll have to use a condom."

That made Law try to inch away from him on the bed, despite being cuffed, and couldn't because Doflamingo still had one hand at the base of the surgeon's neck to keep him pressed face down.

Doflamingo settled over Law to pin him further in place as he located the condom and decided that lube was going to be needed. He was curious as to why Rocinante would bother with Law, as small as he was, and wondered if the sex was good. It probably was if his brother and Law were around one another, even after he'd had his men gang up on the surgeon. Doflamingo let go of Law's neck to get the condom on, before he trapped the surgeon against the bed and breathed against the side of his neck again.

"Did he take you from behind ever, or did he just fuck you on your back?"

Law made some distressed sound and tried to move away again, even if the blond's larger frame prevented him from getting very far.

"You're right." Doflamingo agreed out of the blue, as if Law had said something just then. "He probably had you on your back so that he could see you." Doflamingo slicked a few fingers up and slipped them back in, which caused Law to let out a thin keen and make one last attempt to move away. "Too bad my brother isn't fast enough. But it'd be good to see his face if he walks in and sees me fucking you. Foolish Roci, thinking he can get away with his little police officer act." Doflamingo removed his fingers and thrust without warning, and snickered at the pained gasp that emitted from the surgeon beneath him. Doflamingo reached around to cover his mouth and thrust again, and felt the muffled cry beneath his hand.

"I guess he didn't fuck you much. I wonder if he lied about even doing it once." Doflamingo mused. He heard the gunfire get closer, and heard what suspiciously sounded like an explosion. Doflamingo laughed as he lazily ground up against Law. "He's certainly making a mess of things out there. I wonder if he'll burn the woods down with us still in the cabin."

A distant door slammed open and Doflamingo grinned. "It sounds like someone got past my guards and the rest of my family." Doflamingo gave another sharp thrust and whispered against the side of Law's neck in a falsely soothing tone. "He'll be here soon."

Law whined something around the hand that covered his mouth.

"I suppose you're right. I should be in a better position for this." Doflamingo pulled out and let Law slump on the bed, and sat up himself as he took the condom off and replaced it with another.

And grinned eerily as his brother entered the room.

"Law!" Rocinante stumbled to a halt just inside the doorway to the room, his eyes darting between Doflamingo's smug grin and Law curled up on the bed, silent but for an occasional shudder. And then Rocinante saw the handcuffs, and that seemed to be too much when linked to fact that his brother and Law were half naked.

Doflamingo cracked up as soon as Rocinante launched himself at him, and was supremely unconcerned over the fact that his brother looked like he wanted to throttle him. Rocinante should have been paying better attention to his surroundings. Doflamingo watched interestedly as some guards hiding in a small side room rushed in and beat Rocinante down, pinning him on the ground.

Rocinante tried to fight back, but Doflamingo had made sure there were enough people on hand to overpower the blond haired officer. As soon as he saw that Rocinante wasn't going to be able to do anything anytime soon, Doflamingo reached over and ran a hand absently down Law's back, drawing forth another faint shudder. Doflamingo grinned when he saw that despite being roughed up at bit, his brother's eyes were on him.

"I'm disappointed in you, Roci." Doflamingo said at length as he gripped Law roughly by the back of his shirt and dragged him forcibly onto his lap. Law squirmed at the sensation he was met with, but couldn't do much with his hands behind his back.

Rocinante's eyes flared with a burning rage that caused Doflamingo to laugh again. The older blond causally waved a hand, and anything Rocinante might have said was cut off as one of the guards gagged him. Doflamingo found the lube and, keeping eye contact with Rocinante, slipped a finger in again, and Law made a distressed sound at the motion, and made another attempt to get away, and seemingly to go to Rocinante.

Doflamingo's arm settled around the front of Law's waist tighter until the surgeon gave up and squirmed uncomfortably with a finger still lazily exploring him.

"It's too bad things had to turn out this way. You could have easily kept the police off my trail." Doflamingo said conversationally as he added a second finger. "I figure that I can keep Law quiet since he's still useful to me with his access to drugs in the hospital and his skills as a surgeon."

Law sagged back against Doflamingo's chest, though not through his own power as the other man had dragged him back a bit on his lap to trap him against his abdomen as his fingers curled.

Doflamingo let his fingers rest as deep as they could, and it caused Law to let out a breathless choke.

Rocinante's eyes darted briefly to Law, concern filling those eyes before they were drawn back to Doflamingo and became dark and angry.

"You should have left things as they were, and we wouldn't be here now." Doflamingo pointed out.

"Cora." Law said breathlessly, in an almost pleading way.

Doflamingo couldn't see the surgeon's face, but figured from the fact that Rocinante had looked back at the surgeon and had worry in his eyes, that Law was looking at him in return. Doflamingo presumed from Law's tone that he wanted help. He held the surgeon tighter as he waved a free hand at the guards that held Rocinante down, and grinned as they beat Rocinante until his brother was breathless and gasping. He waved the guards away, as it appeared that Rocinante was now in no shape to do anything but lie there and watch Doflamingo. He would recover just fine, not being badly wounded like when Vergo had beaten him, but out of breath long enough to not be in time to stop the older blond.  With a nasty leer, Doflamingo shifted Law around to his liking before he pressed in, and it wasn't until he had the little bastard seated on him that his brother seemed to realize what was going on and tried to get up, only to slump on the ground with a gasp of pain.

Doflamingo gave a lazy thrust up that soon had Law squirming on his lap. Doflamingo didn't feel the need to say anything as he focused on Law, and since he hated the angle from where he was seated, he held onto Law and took him to the bed. Law was complaint enough, if only because he was likely in pain for whatever reason. It probably meant that Rocinante hadn't fucked Law enough if he couldn't even do anything but lay there and take it. Doflamingo held the base of Law's neck down to the bed and thrust roughly, over and over until finally he got something out of Law.

A choked, desperate cry.

It seemed to get Rocinante's attention anyway, and Doflamingo was gleeful over the sight of the blond haired officer looking absolutely murderous at what he was doing. Doflamingo ignored his gasping brother and focused instead on fucking Law out of his mind. Little bastard needed to be put in his place after all those hours in the car snarking him and threatening him. Law wasn't doing any of that now, and as soon as Doflamingo was finished with the dark haired surgeon, he carelessly pulled out and ran a rough hand over Law but stopped him from coming all over the bed again by wrapping his hand around the base.

Law writhed and gasped something unintelligible, but Doflamingo ignored him and tied something off to prevent Law from finishing, and let the little brat slump on the bed where he whimpered something akin to relief.

"I doubt Law will say anything against me if you happen to be gone, and if he doesn't want something similar to happen to his friends." Doflamingo decided to unlock the cuffs from around the surgeon's wrists, because it didn't seem as if Law were going to go anywhere anytime soon. That accomplished, Doflamingo produced a gun and cocked it toward his brother. "Wouldn't you think that's right?"

-x-

Law had recovered enough to lift his head off the bed to meet Rocinante's eyes, but not before a gun shot rang out in the silence of the room. Law had hesitated only a moment before the shot had gone off to throw himself forward and partially onto Doflamingo.

Rocinante had had a gun, and had wasted no time in letting off a shot in return when Doflamingo's shot had gone wide because of Law throwing him off balance. The blond haired officer had missed as well because Law was too close to his brother, but before Doflamingo could let off another round or get Law to let go of him, another shot fired, this time from across the room.

Law froze in place, but when he determined that he had not been hit, he let go of Doflamingo and slumped back down onto the bed with a harsh exhale.

Doflamingo had gone rigid and when the dark haired surgeon had let go of him, he fell over onto the ground. The older blond's hand lost his grip of the gun, which clattered to the ground.

Law watched as Rocinante struggle upright, and it was clear he was in pain, but that wasn't what had Law staring at him. It was over the fact that Rocinante kept his eyes on him the entire time, not sparing a second look at his brother as he tottered across the room and over to the bed. The dark haired surgeon saw the tears forming in the other man's eyes, and knew that it was from what had happened to him. Law put it from his mind even if his body wasn't about to forget it any time soon. But unlike before, he welcomed Rocinante's touch as the blond joined him on the bed and draped a blanket over his shoulders and drew him into a hug, squeezing Law to his chest. The surgeon didn't even question why he wasn't shying away from the blond haired officer, and merely wrote it off as a result of shock.

"I'm sorry, Law." Rocinante choked out, the tears beginning to fall in earnest as the blond held Law to him. "I'm so sorry."

"Cora." Law closed his eyes as he leaned in to Rocinante's touch, seeking comfort from the other man. His current state of mind was still in shock over the thought that Rocinante might have been struck by a bullet, instead of terrified that Doflamingo had forced himself on him, and in front of the blond haired officer at that. Law put that far from his mind again and held Rocinante in return, relieved that it didn't appear as if the blond had been shot. He was likely traumatized more by the sight he had seen than anything else.

"Law, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but…" Rocinante ran a soothing hand though Law's hair. "If Doflamingo survives that shot, he's going to try and drag you down with him. He'll find some way to reveal that you are the Surgeon of Death."

"I know." Law said quietly in return before he glanced past Rocinante's shoulder. "Sengoku and Bellemere are here."

"Do you trust me?" Rocinante asked softly.

Law drew back and locked eyes with the blond, before he offered a very small smile. "Yes." The dark haired surgeon had a feeling about what Rocinante was going to suggest and let out a light sigh. "I would like my pants back if I am going to be arrested."

"I'm going to try and avoid that at all cost. I don't want you in a jail." Rocinante laughed brokenly as he discreetly relieved Law of what was preventing his climax, even if the surgeon was not aroused anymore and it was no longer an issue. "I do not want the media to get wind of it. It would destroy your reputation as a surgeon. No one would want you near any patients if it gets out."

Law was silent. He had known the consequences, and yet he still didn't regret what he had done because he had kept Rocinante and his roommates from being harmed.

"I'm going to try and get Sengoku to agree to take a testimony from you against Doflamingo and his family, but in return, he can't reveal that you were the Surgeon of Death." Rocinante stated quietly as he drew away from Law.

"Doflamingo will not keep quiet about it." The dark haired surgeon said with certainty.

"I know." Rocinante said morosely. "I just hope he would not be in any position to let it leak out to the media." The blond haired officer stood up. "I just want to make sure that you are not arrested for being coerced by my brother. That he blackmailed you into helping him because otherwise I and your roommates would and could have ended up dead. And even if you had gone to the police, we might have been harmed before anything could be done."

"Rocinante?"

The blond haired officer offered a sad little smile to Law before he went over to Sengoku, who'd called over to him.

Law watched as Bellemere headed over to him, and subconsciously clutched the blanket around him as the police woman stepped around Doflamingo to address him, holding out a familiar pair of jeans.

"These yours?"

Law nodded as he gratefully reached out to take them, glad that Bellemere turned to allow him some semblance of privacy as he slipped them on, grimacing that he wasn't exactly clean.

"Did he touch you?" Bellemere asked as she glanced down at Doflamingo and then met Law's eyes.

Law couldn't meet the police woman's eyes for long as he dropped his gaze to the bed and nodded, before he added, with a bit of pain entering his tone. "Yes...and in front of Cora." Law looked up in time to see Bellemere fix a look down at Doflamingo, as if she were considering beating him into a bloody pulp instead of handcuffing him. Law found that he didn't care what she chose to do.

"Well, don't just sit there. It can't be comfortable after this bastard did _that_ to you." Bellemere said suddenly, reaching out with a hand.

Law took the offered hand and slipped off the bed with a grimace, and saw the police woman's eyes darken over the fact that the surgeon had trouble standing on his own without wincing. He saw that it looked like Bellemere wanted to say something, but that was when Doflamingo stirred, and Law automatically jerked back and fell over as he lost his grip on Bellemere's hand. The surgeon scrabbled backward until he hit someone's legs. Law let out a sound as a hand tapped his shoulder, but relaxed when he heard Rocinante's voice.

"Can you get up, Law? We're going."

Law took the hand and allowed Rocinante to get him to his feet, and as he did he caught the look across the blond's face.

Sadness mixed in with some nervousness.

A peculiar combination.

A quick look at Sengoku and Law could tell that the officer was upset about something. Likely due to the whole Law being the Surgeon of Death and Rocinante lying to him about it to his face when he'd been asked about it before. The surgeon presumed that it was because Rocinante didn't often lie but when it came to Law, there were things that Rocinante was willing to do to protect him. And lying to his superior about any knowledge of the crime appeared to be one of them.

Law felt Rocinante wrap a hand tightly around his as he led him out of the room, and the surgeon noticed that Bellemere followed along after them as Sengoku could be heard calling for back up. The dark haired surgeon took it as a good sign that he didn't get into the police cruiser in handcuffs, and pressed himself to Rocinante's side the entire way back to the city in silence.

It was only a few weeks later that Law learned why Rocinante had been in such a melancholic mood.

-x-

Law turned the news on one morning three weeks after Doflamingo's arrest, and froze in place as he saw his name alongside the Surgeon of Death title. It seemed surreal, but from what was being said, the news had leaked out overnight at some point during the initial proceedings for Doflamingo's trial.

Rocinante, who'd just entered the room, took one look at the screen before he went straight to the couch. The blond haired officer sat down and pressed himself as close to Law as he was able to, to hold him, as the surgeon merely stared blankly at the screen.

Law wondered, in that moment, what would happen to him as well as Rocinante, who had covered for him that entire year.

"Law…" Rocinante murmured against the surgeon's neck, one hand gripping the Law's tightly.

"Cora?" Law couldn't say much more than that.

"I love you." The blond haired officer murmured. "No matter what happens because of this."

Law could only lean in to Rocinante's crushing hug, and instead of feeling smothered, he felt comforted. He knew going into work that day was going to be hell, even if there were not any charges pressed against him because he had given his testimony to Sengoku. It didn't mean there weren't going to be repercussions, and there were the moment Law went into work after the trial was in its final stages four and a half months later.

The dark haired surgeon took one step in the front door of the hospital the day he'd been found not guilty of the murders he'd helped Doflamingo commit through coercion and blackmail. But Law knew, as soon as he'd walked inside the building to see the hostile and mistrustful stares, that whatever standing he had held in that hospital was shredded and torn to bits. And it was all because of Doflamingo's trial and the fact that Law had been identified as the Surgeon of Death.

Law knew, in that moment, that his life would never be the same again.


	69. Chapter 69

Rocinante waited in the entry way of the house anxiously, wondering why Law had not yet returned home when he had sent a text before that he had left the hospital two hours ago. The blond haired officer perked up when the front door was unlocked, and Rocinante was about to greet Law when he saw the surgeon's expression and slightly ruffled appearance.

"Cora…" Law said as he closed the door.

Rocinante settled for a politely confused expression until the dark haired surgeon suddenly crossed the few steps between them to grab a hold of his sweater.

"I don't know how long I can take it before something happens on the way home from the hospital." Law mumbled as he sagged against the blond.

"Did someone mug you?" Rocinante asked worriedly, backing up a little to look the dark haired man over for any sign of injury. The surgeon certainly seemed a little shaken up and more than would necessarily come from being harassed subtly at the hospital.

"They didn't get a chance because I ran." Law let out a sigh. "I missed the train beforehand that forced me to walk home because some people decided it would be amusing to insult me. They blocked my way to the station as well." The dark haired surgeon looked away. "They did leave me be as soon as they saw the train leave. They appeared to have been pleased with themselves for inconveniencing me. And that was when I had to run when I passed by an alley with some…thugs."

"Please give it some time. People should know by now why you did what you did." Rocinante ran a hand soothingly down Law's back. "They should move on to something else to occupy their minds."

"And if they don't? Or it doesn't get better?" Law asked, allowing the blond to lead them into the living room. "What if they still all but breathe down my neck during surgeries? I can't have someone second guessing my work or nothing will get done. Patients might not even get seen the day they need to if this keeps up."

"I'm sure everything will work out in the end." Rocinante said, purposefully making himself sound cheerfully optimistic. "If they satisfy themselves with your work and see nothing wrong, in a few months' time some things should go back to normal." The blond haired officer led Law to the couch and settled down on it, and after a brief moment, the surgeon sat down alongside him. "It'll be all right. You'll see." Rocinante saw the glum look on Law's face, and knew that he was likely lying through his teeth. The blond knew that Law's reputation as a surgeon had been all but destroyed, and there was likely no way he wouldn't be looked at with suspicion, no matter if he changed his work location.

"I think I may go to bed early tonight, Cora." Law said softly, when the silence between them had stretched for some time. The dark haired surgeon made as if to get up, but Rocinante didn't want him to go while in such a poor mood.

"Don't go yet." Rocinante said as he reached over and held on to one of Law's arms. "Come here." The blond saw the surgeon give him a look, and merely beamed in response until Law gave a defeated sigh and sat back down.

"What is it?" Law asked, even if he seemed to have an inkling as he glanced down at his and Rocinante's linked hands.

"I haven't gotten to see you very much these past few weeks." Rocinante stated in a soft voice. Remembering what happened the last time he'd tried this and had the surgeon run away, the blond gave Law's hand a light squeeze. "I'd love to kiss you…if that's all right with you?" Rocinante would love to do something more, but knew better than to try right now. The blond haired officer was going to just let go of Law's hand when he saw the searching look the golden eyed man gave him. Rocinante did, however, feel a little better when he saw the surgeon's gaze soften the longer they looked at one another. The blond haired officer let out a gasp of surprise when Law reached up to cup his cheeks to give him a kiss, and it was done with enough force that it almost toppled them both over onto the couch.

Rocinante managed to brace himself on the arm of the couch so that he didn't crush Law beneath him as he closed his eyes to indulge in the kiss.

It was a sweet kiss, slow and lazy, like there wasn't anywhere Law wanted to go now that he was kissing Rocinante.

The blond liked that. It made him feel good; made him feel wanted. That Law wanted him to be there and kissing him like they were. Rocinante wondered if Law wanted to do more but banished the thought. The blond was happy just being there in that moment and kissing the dark haired surgeon and otherwise being in his general vicinity.

"Love you." Rocinante breathed against Law's lips before he reluctantly broke the kiss and started to brush light kisses down along the side of Law's throat. "I don't like to see you looking so down." Rocinante drew away and sat up, offering a small smile. "But I think right now, you're not really in the mood, so I won't push for more than that tonight." Rocinante settled on the couch at the opposite end of the couch and closed his eyes once more, thinking that Law would go to bed like he'd said he would before.

But he didn't.

Rocinante's eyes opened when he felt a warm body press up against his side. The blond haired man smiled happily when he saw that Law had decided that he wanted to be pressed as closely as possible to him. Rocinante fidgeted when Law said nothing and made no move to do anything either. After going over what he could do, Rocinante decided that he would rest his hand on Law's knee. He just wanted to hold Law but didn't want the surgeon to feel smothered.

"Is this all right?" Rocinante asked, feeling the echoes of asking something similar so many years ago, when he'd been testing the waters of how much affection in the beginning of their relationship was acceptable.

"No." Law said without looking at him.

Rocinante wondered if Law were mad at him for the kiss, and was about to move his hand away when Law did something that made him ridiculously happy as it had before.

"Turn your hand over." Law stated blandly, gaze facing forward and not looking at the blond haired officer at all.

Rocinante didn't mind that the other man wasn't looking at him, as he felt that the surgeon was a little embarrassed, and did as Law had asked of him. Rocinante watched, absurdly pleased, as the dark haired man linked their hands together.

"Now it's fine." Law said with an air of certainty.

Rocinante caught the faint smirk that crossed the dark haired surgeon's face and couldn't help but lean over and press a kiss between ear and jaw. He had no words to express how adorable Law was in that moment, but as he was trying to cheer the surgeon up and not overwhelm him, Rocinante just snuggled closer after that kiss.

Law resettled against Rocinante's side and after a brief moment's thought, rested his head against the blond's shoulder to avoid more kisses like that but also deciding to stay where he was for awhile longer.

Rocinante held Law's hand tightly, appreciating the silent decision to stay there in the living room with him. He loved that Law still spent so much time with him despite the obvious stress he came across in the hospital as of late. Rocinante was quietly pleased that he could tell that the surgeon was marginally cheered up with the small display of affection between them in that moment, and that was enough for now. If anything, Rocinante hoped that he would be able to find different ways to continue to cheer Law up in the coming weeks.

The blond haired officer shifted so that he could bush a kiss against the top of Law's head and murmured little nonsense sounds that seemed to make the surgeon relax further. It seemed like Law was going to need a lot of encouragement to continue at the hospital he worked at. And since Rocinante knew the surgeon had enough to deal with right now, the blond haired officer decided to keep quiet about the fact that he, too, was being harassed at work for remaining in a relationship with Law. There had even been some people he didn't even know very well all but demanding that he break his relationship off with Law.

Rocinante didn't pay them any heed.

Sengoku and Bellemere were the only people whose opinion mattered to Rocinante in any case, and they had no problem with Law whatsoever other than the fact that he hadn't said something about being coerced by Doflamingo sooner. And besides, Law made Rocinante happy, and he'd be a fool to give that up for what someone else thought that he hardly ever saw and therefore didn't know how happy and content the dark haired surgeon made him. How his life had so much more meaning now that Law was a part of it.

Rocinante felt that his relationship with Law was worth the harassment that he received outside of the house, at work or on the streets. To Rocinante, the dark haired surgeon was the most important person in his life. And that no matter what happened with Law and the work he'd done as the Surgeon of Death, there was no way that Rocinante would ever think to try and get Law out of his life.

Unfortunately, Rocinante forgot the fact that Law was a very perceptive individual, and as soon as the surgeon realized that the blond haired officer was being harassed because of their relationship, Law was sure to take steps to make that stop. And to make it stop, the dark haired surgeon did one thing that Rocinante would not have wanted him to do. It was something that the blond haired officer would have tried everything in his power to prevent.

Law left the city and didn't tell Rocinante of his plans, which threw the blond's life into a confused spiral in an attempt to locate the dark haired surgeon.

-x-

Shachi and Penguin tried everything they could think of to keep their friend from leaving. They attempted to convince Law, as Rocinante had, that everything would eventually die down if he waited things out and showed that he wouldn't do anything wrong at the hospital. That there were other people, like Bepo and Jean Bart, and as well as Luffy and some other people who didn't think badly of him for protecting the people he cared about. Shachi even cheerfully pointed out that Kidd would be more than happy to crack a few skulls if people tried to harass him around him, even if Shachi felt it was some ploy to get the surgeon to spend some time with Kidd.

Law had seemed amused but had point blank refused to have someone act on his behalf.

Shachi and Penguin tried and tried for days to dissuade Law, but in the end, it was the dark haired surgeon's decision.

"Do you really have to go?" Penguin asked, his eyes on Law as the surgeon closed a suitcase and went on to another one. "Isn't there any way that you could transfer to the hospital on the far side of the city?"

"There aren't any positions open and even if there were, you know as well as I do that as soon as they see my name, they will make excuses to not hire me." Law looked satisfied with what he saw in the next suitcase, because he closed it as well. With a slight sigh, the dark haired surgeon reached out and put on his spotted hat before he turned to Penguin and Shachi.

"I can't stay here any longer. I know I was found not guilty of the deaths that I caused through Doflamingo, but the general public is not going to be so forgiving. I've learned that the hard way. And it does not matter to anyone that most of those that had died had criminal backgrounds." Law looked away, unable to meet his roommates' eyes. "I've seen people's reactions to me at work and on the streets. At the train station. At the mall. I see the fear and the anger and the loathing in their eyes, even if they think they are concealing their feelings. Nothing has gone wrong in the hospital for weeks, yet I am still being watched too closely when I preform operations."

"They can't do that indefinitely, can they?" Shachi asked.

"I am not sure and I do not know if I want to wait to see." Law shook his head again, disgruntled. "I almost made a few mistakes here and there over the past few days because I have not been given enough space to work. Given less tools that I require, even if they insist everything is there." Law met his roommates' eyes briefly before he dropped his gaze. "I can't live like that. I just can't. It's as if they are waiting for one mistake or something to go wrong, just so that they can have an excuse to get rid of me." Law picked the two suitcases up. "I have had enough of it. I have enough money saved up to live outside the city. It would be good to live somewhere for a time where I do not have people breathing down my neck."

"What about Rocinante?" Shachi asked quietly. "Have you told him that you're planning on leaving the city?"

Pain flashed across the dark haired surgeon's features, before it smoothed into an indifferent expression.

"Law?" Penguin added, when the dark haired man had said nothing.

"I haven't told him." Law admitted in a near quiet voice. "Besides, Cora still has a job here. I don't. At least, not anymore. As soon as I leave the city they will likely find some way to fire me for not showing up to work. Perhaps that was what they were waiting for me to do all along, to make it easier on them paperwork wise." Law avoided eye contact as he focused on his luggage. "I'm not going to ask Cora to give up his own job after what he's already done for me. He kept me out of jail and that was more than I could have asked him to do for me."

"He won't stay put if you leave, Law. He will try and find you." Shachi said, looking troubled. "You know he wants to be wherever you are. He won't be happy otherwise."

"I know." Law sighed. "But if he can't find me he will stay put. And he won't go looking for me if he can't figure out where I am."

"Do you even hear yourself right now, Law?" Penguin questioned in a taut voice. "Do you really want to alienate Rocinante? He's the one who's been there for you this whole time, especially during the trial. He's been there for you for more so than Shachi and myself these past few years. Are you really going to put him through all of this?"

"I'll still call. It's not like I won't be in contact with him in some way." Law said, even if he was clearly discomforted by the idea of physically separating himself and Rocinante when he was used to waking up with the other man for over two years.

"That isn't the same thing and you know it." Penguin stated firmly.

"He'll slip into some depression and probably get himself hurt trying to find you and drag you back." Shachi added. "Probably set himself on fire while he's at it."

"Stop it." Law said, a little more sharply than he meant to. "He is an adult. He survived on his own before we met and during the first time we...broke up. I'll call him later and explain things then."

"Because if he heard you were planning to leave he would come here and stop you." Penguin stated.

"Don't call him. It will make leaving harder than it has to be." Law said softly.

"That would be kind of the point." Shachi said and with a hint of a smile, added. "Maybe he could cart you off to the bedroom and keep you occupied so that you'd forget why you wanted to go in the first place."

Law said nothing as he merely gathered his suitcases and headed for the front door, although it was clear that he had to try very hard to not rise to the bait.

"If you change your mind, we'll all be here." Penguin said, as he reached out and set a restraining hand on Shachi's shoulder.

"I know." The surgeon's voice was barely audible as he left. In fifteen minute's time, Law was at a train station and taking the first ride out of the city. What Law expected to find outside of the city, the surgeon wasn't entirely certain. Law just hadn't anticipated how far word had spread of his actions as the Surgeon of Death.

And that was a problem.

-x-

Rocinante returned home late that night, and was looking forward to cuddling with Law. Well, if the other man was all right with that. He'd be happy to just be in the same room at this point, depending on the mood that Law was in. Rocinante felt that the surgeon would probably need some kind of reassurance, because today couldn't be any better than any other day after a shift at the hospital. But the happy thoughts that the blond had revolving around Law quickly fled from his mind when Rocinante entered the house and only found Penguin and Shachi in the house.

Law was nowhere in sight.

Rocinante felt his happiness quickly sapped at the implication of Law's absence in the expressions that Penguin and Shachi conveyed.

"He's gone." Penguin confirmed before the blond haired officer could even ask. "He left a few hours ago."

"Law took a train as soon as he could get some suitcases together." Shachi added, the red head sounding unusually subdued.

"He wouldn't listen to us about not leaving." Penguin added. "Law wouldn't stay and wait for you to come home from your shift. He probably felt that he might not be able to leave because you'd find some way to stop him."

"He's not thinking about breaking up with you either." Shachi pointed out, upon seeing the stricken look on the officer's face. "He just wanted you to keep your job, since he can't keep his job without people harassing him."

"My job doesn't matter to me. Not as much as it did before I met Law." Rocinante said, eyes taking on a saddened look. "Law's more important. I would find some other job to do if it let me stay by his side. I don't care what other people think of him."

"We figured that you'd say something like that." Penguin and Shachi exchanged a look that normally drove the dark haired surgeon crazy. "But he did say that he would contact you, because he wasn't planning on not talking to you."

"He'd probably drop into another depression if he _didn't_ talk to you. Before, when he'd broken up with you, Law was sad but he wouldn't admit that he was because he focused on work so much to distract himself." Shachi said with a hint of a smile.

"And now he can't distract himself with work." Rocinante said sadly, before he fell silent and thought upon the little tidbit of information that he hadn't heard before about Law and the time they'd been apart for three months. He hadn't known that Law had been depressed when they had been apart. Had that meant that at the time, he had regretted breaking up with him at the time with all that information that he had learned.? The blond felt that he must have subconsciously figured that very thing when he saw Law again. Rocinante began to head for the stair case and went upstairs to his and Law's bedroom, wondering about Law's thoughts and actions and remembered that he ought to try and contact the dark haired surgeon.

To tell him to come home.

Rocinante tried to contact Law by calling the dark haired surgeon and when that didn't work, the blond texted Law with a message before he sat down to dwell on what had happened over the past few weeks.

The trial.

The media leaking information about the Surgeon of Death, right before the trial.

The complete crushing of Law's reputation as a surgeon despite the dark haired man being found not guilty by the trial's completion.

The pain that Rocinante had seen in Law's eyes as people ridiculed him on their way home from either a park or a restaurant. The fact that the only place they could go out to eat at was Law's favorite restaurant, where the owner of the building told people off for harassing either Law or Rocinante.

The time Rocinante had spent trying to comfort Law. To try and let him know that his life wasn't over, even if his career appeared to be. That they'd figure something out. That there had to be someone, somewhere, that would want Law to work. Perhaps a smaller clinic out in the countryside, in some place a train ride away from the city. Chopper had suggested a town he trained in and that he'd likely be welcome, eventually, but Rocinante wasn't sure whether Law had really taken in the information at the time. Rocinante had, in the meantime, tried his best to make life as normal as possible for Law.

Rocinante stared around at the empty room and the fact that he was alone.

Apparently, the blond haired officer hadn't done enough to make things bearable and Law had finally given in and gone on the run to get away from all of the negativity.

Which in turn took the surgeon away from _him_.

The blond almost couldn't believe that Law had left as if he'd ruin Rocinante's life for remaining behind with his ruined reputation. Rocinante felt that the only way his life would truly be ruined would be if Law stayed out of it for too long.

It didn't take long for Rocinante to receive a response to his text.

_ I'm sorry I didn't say good bye. I felt that I needed to stay away from you, for a little while, so that you can work without suspicion from your colleagues over being in a relationship with me. _

Rocinante wanted to text something back, to say he didn't care what people thought, when Law sent another message.

_ I love you, Cora. I want to stay in contact with you but I can't be with you right now. _

Rocinante didn't notice that he had begun to cry softly when he figured out what Law was hinting at and called the surgeon, and was relieved that this time Law answered. "You don't have to stay somewhere out of the city. I don't want to be alone, and you shouldn't have to be alone either. At least let me go with you. I could get a job outside of the city."

' _I've been alone before, but I hope it won't be for long.'_ Law said simply. _'And the whole point of me leaving is so that people will stop harassing you. And don't try to tell me they don't.'_ If he was affected by the distraught tone in Rocinante's voice, it didn't show.

"Please come back home." Rocinante pleaded. "Please."

' _I can't.'_ A hint of pain entered Law's voice at that, as if he didn't like the idea of staying away any more than Rocinante did. _'And I wouldn't be able to work at the hospital I was at before. Or work in that city at all, as that was where all the media coverage was.'_

"Please, Law." Rocinante wasn't sure if he could carry on a conversation for much longer, as he was crying too much over the idea that Law was only staying away so that he, Rocinante, could still have a career. "I don't care if they demote me or make my life a living hell for being in a relationship with you. I want to be with you, and I don't care what anyone else says."

' _No, Cora. You need to have them not resent you and you can't do that if I'm nearby.'_

"Where are you?" Rocinante pressed. "I'll go there now."

' _I can't say.'_ Law said evasively. _'I'll call you later.'_ And with that prompt promise, the dark haired surgeon hung up.

Rocinante stared at the cell phone before he took a deep breath and let it out. He was going to find out where Law had gotten to, and he would bring the surgeon home. Rocinante didn't care if he lost his job because he couldn't stand to be apart from Law for so long. A few weeks would be a tolerable amount, maybe, if they really had to be apart, but an indeterminate amount of time? It was too much for Law to think that the two of them could have their relationship on the phone for an indeterminate amount of time.

-x-

One year later and many entertaining video chats later and Rocinante had finally, with a lot of effort on his part, and some favors, found the answers that he'd wanted.

One in particular had been Law's location.

With any luck, Rocinante would be able to get there this time around before Law left to go to another town. Rocinante had tried to catch the surgeon before but had arrived too late.

Once everything Rocinante needed to have taken care of was dealt with, the blond packed a suitcase of his own and settled that red hood with heart tassels over his head. He'd already let Penguin and Shachi know of his plans, so all that was left to do was to go to where Law was.

Rocinante took out his phone, and, as he had done every day since Law had left, sent a text message to the surgeon. He'd been especially sure to do it for the past two months that Law had not answered his phone and would only correspond via text. For that alone, it made Rocinante wonder if there was something wrong if the dark haired surgeon didn't want him to hear his voice.

With that in mind, the blond haired officer was determined to say what he texted to Law with as much passion in his voice as he could manage, once Rocinante managed to pin the elusive man down and was face to face with him. To make sure that Law was listening to him, and preferably looking him in the eyes. So that Rocinante could say those words to the dark haired surgeon to let him know that he really meant what he said, and had been saying, for the whole past year.

_ I love you, Law. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Finished getting up the (mostly) revised version of this fic. The sequel is slow in updates, but at the very least I can probably get up what I have for it here.


End file.
